Troops Rescue 34 Kidnap Victims, Arrest ISWAP Informant, Recover Arms

Nigerian Army troops have rescued 34 kidnapped people in separate operations, including 31 victims intercepted along the Buratai-Kamuya road in Biu Local Government Area of Borno State.

The reports said troops of Operation HADIN KAI moved after the 135 Special Forces Battalion detected ISWAP/JAS fighters abducting civilians from four vehicles through CCTV surveillance. A quick reaction force engaged the attackers, forcing them to abandon the victims and flee, while one motorcycle was left behind.

The same operational report said troops also arrested a suspected ISWAP informant at Garaha Market in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State. In another Borno operation, troops on patrol around the Turoh area of Damasak in Mobbar Local Government Area recovered two motorcycles and illicit drugs after the fighters fled.

Outside the North-East, Operation MESA troops rescued a kidnapped woman and her two children along the old Obajana-Jakura-Tajimi road in Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State. The victims were said to have been abducted on July 29 from a Ruga settlement in the Gada-Biyu area.

The army report also said troops in the South-East arrested three suspected terrorists linked to a May 4 ambush on soldiers in Imo State. It listed the recovered items as four AK-47 rifles, one FN rifle, a pistol, 11 AK-47 magazines, two FN magazines, 239 rounds of assorted ammunition, a fragmentation jacket and other military items.

Sources: Vanguard, Daily Post, Premium Times