Nigerian Army troops
In a bold operation, troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) liberated two police inspectors and nine other captives from kidnappers in Benue State.
The mission, led by Maj.-Gen. Moses Gara, also resulted in the arrest of two suspects now under interrogation, as announced in Makurdi on Monday.
The operation, executed on Saturday and Sunday, targeted the Sankara axis (Kastina-Ala, Ukum, and Logo LGAs) following reports of frequent abductions.
“The high-impact operation was conducted simultaneously at Tse-Ahur and Chito areas of Ukum LGA,” Gara stated, with Sector 3 establishing a strategic blockade in Gindin Mangoro, Wukari LGA, Taraba, to intercept fleeing insurgents.
Led by Col. Kolawole Bukoye, Sector 1 Commander, and supported by the OPWS Air Component, the raid rescued 11 individuals—four females and seven males, including two police officers—at Tse-Ahur and Chito in Ukum LGA.
“The victims were provided medical care and profiled for reunification with their families,” Gara added.
The operation yielded significant recoveries, including four FN rifles, three G3 rifles, four AK-47 rifles, one PKT machine gun, one locally made dane gun, 15 AK-47 magazines, three FN rifle magazines, 31 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 184 rounds of 7.62mm x 54 ammunition, one pistol magazine, five smoke discharge canisters, and several fetish charms.
Preliminary findings revealed one suspect managed the kidnappers’ armory, while the other served as a security guard for the captives.
Gara praised the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs for their support and additional troop deployments, vowing to maintain operational pressure to ensure peace in Benue, Taraba, and Nasarawa States.
One rescued officer, Inspector John Ngbede of Numan Divisional Police Station, Adamawa Command, shared his ordeal with journalists: “On June 16, around 6:15 p.m., we were ambushed by men in military uniforms between Zaki Biam and Wukari. They extorted N3.5 million from me and held me for 48 days.”
Similarly, Inspector Odah Patrick of Rivers Command recounted, “I was kidnapped on July 14 while traveling through Abakaliki into Benue for medical leave. They took N3 million and detained me for 16 days until OPWS intervened.”
