A joint military task force has rescued an abducted senior Nigerian Army officer, Lt. Col. Ofor Amobi, and a civilian, Mr. Ikechukwu Onwuanra, 10 days after they were kidnapped in Enugu State.
The development was disclosed on Saturday by counter-insurgency and Lake Chad security analyst, Zagazola Makama, in a post on his X handle, citing intelligence sources.
Makama, citing security sources, said the victims were rescued in the early hours of Saturday, August 1, following an intensive search-and-rescue operation by troops of Sector 1, Operation UDO KA.
The operation involved personnel of the 82 Division Garrison, 103 Battalion (Rear), the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service (NN SBS), and the 197 Special Forces Battalion, under the leadership of the Commander, 82 Division Garrison, with support from the Air Component.
The sources said troops conducted sustained operations between 6:00 p.m. on July 31 and 6:00 a.m. on August 1, acting on actionable intelligence across the forests of Inyi, Awlaw and Akpugo-Eze, as well as adjoining communities in Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State.
At about 2:00 a.m., the Divisional Police Officer of Inyi Division reportedly alerted the troops to the suspected location of the victims.
The troops immediately launched a fighting patrol and found Lt. Col. Amobi and Onwuanra abandoned at the edge of a forest. The civilian was discovered with a gunshot wound.
Both victims were evacuated to Inyi before being transferred to the 82 Division Medical Hospital for treatment and further medical evaluation.
During preliminary debriefing, the victims said they were blindfolded shortly after being abducted and taken to an unknown location. They added that they were later abandoned in a forest around the Enugu-Anambra border as security forces intensified operations against their captors.
Military intelligence attributed the successful rescue to sustained pressure mounted by the joint force, backed by the Air Component, which maintained surveillance and operational dominance over suspected criminal hideouts throughout the 10-day operation.
The report added that efforts were ongoing to identify, track and arrest those responsible for the abduction.
Military rescues abducted senior officer, civilian in Enugu after 10 days