Arinze Gideon in Enugu
Troops of the Nigerian Army have rescued a kidnapped senior military officer, Lt. Col. Ofor Amobi, and a civilian, Mr Ikechukwu Onwuanra, after a 10-day joint search-and-rescue operation in Enugu State.
This is contained in a military operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) yesterday in Abuja.
The military said the victims were rescued in the early hours of Friday, following sustained pressure on their abductors.
The military said troops from Sector 1 of Operation UDO KA, comprising personnel from the 82 Division Garrison, 103 Battalion (Reinforced), the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service, and the 197 Special Forces Battalion, carried out the operation.
It said the troops, led by the Commander, 82 Division Garrison, conducted intensive searches across the Inyi, Awlaw, and Akpugo-Eze forests and communities in the Oji River Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State.
According to the report, troops received intelligence from the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Inyi Division at about 2:00 a.m. on Friday on the whereabouts of the victims.
It said the troops immediately launched a fighting patrol to the location where the victims were found abandoned at the edge of a forest in Inyi.
The military said both victims had sustained gunshot wounds and were rescued before being evacuated to the 82 Division Medical Hospital for treatment and medical evaluation.
It added that preliminary interrogation revealed the victims had been blindfolded, transported to an unknown location and later abandoned within a forest along the Enugu-Anambra border.
“The victims attributed their rescue to the sustained pressure mounted by the joint troops, which denied the kidnappers freedom of movement and compelled them to abandon their captives,” it said.
The military said further details on the operation would be made available later.