By Kingsley Omonobi
Troops of the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, under the 2 Division, have rescued 14 kidnapped victims following a kidnap incident along the Lagos–Benin Expressway in Ovia North-East Local Government Area of Edo State.
The operation, conducted under Operation Whirl Stroke, followed credible intelligence received by troops on routine patrol at about 9:30 p.m. on July 30, according to the spokesman for the 4 Brigade, Capt. Kennedy Anyanwu.
He said the troops immediately pursued the kidnappers along their escape route, forcing them to abandon 11 of the victims before fleeing into a nearby forest.
Anyanwu added that during a follow-up clearance operation on July 31, troops combed the forest and rescued the remaining three victims, bringing the total number rescued to 14.
He said all the victims were medically assessed, confirmed to be in stable condition and reunited with their families or allowed to continue their journeys.
According to him, efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing kidnappers.
“The successful operation underscores the Nigerian Army’s operational readiness, intelligence-driven approach and resolve to combat kidnapping and other violent crimes in collaboration with other security agencies,” he said.
He urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to support ongoing operations.
The Commander of the 4 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Ahmed Balogun, commended the troops for their professionalism, courage and resilience during the operation.
Balogun reaffirmed the Brigade’s commitment to protecting lives and property across its area of responsibility, assuring residents and road users that troops would sustain operations aimed at denying criminal elements safe havens and ensuring a secure environment for law-abiding citizens.
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