Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation Whirl Stroke, OPWS, on Sunday, rescued an abducted victim and arrested a suspected kidnapper in separate intelligence-led operations in Benue and Nasarawa states.
Acting Media Information Officer, Headquarters JTF OPWS, Lt Ahmad Zubairu, in a statement on Sunday, noted that the operations carried out on September 4 and 6, followed sustained offensive operations by the troops.
He said the intelligence-led operations were meant to disrupt criminal activities and deny kidnappers freedom of action across the OPWS Joint Operations Area to include Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba States.
Zubairu stated that troops of the COAS Intervention Battalion XI deployed at Torkula in Guma LGA of Benue State, rescued a kidnapped victim, Vincent Nyado, along the Umene-Torkula road on September 6.
He noted that Nyado was found tied and abandoned by the roadside after his abductors reportedly fled into the surrounding bushes on sighting the approaching troops during a patrol aimed at dominating the area and preventing criminal activities.
He added that the troops secured the victim and commenced efforts to obtain further information that could assist in identifying and apprehending the fleeing suspects.
While in Nasarawa State, he stated that the troops of Sector 2 arrested a suspected kidnapper, identified as Adamu Lamu, at Agyaragu on September 4 after a 31-year-old victim, Nehemiah Elisha, escaped from his abductors and alerted security personnel.
Zubairu explained that Elisha was said to have sighted one of the suspected kidnappers at a market in Agyaragu after escaping from the gang and immediately informed troops deployed in the area, leading to the suspect’s swift arrest.
He disclosed that the suspect had since been handed over to the Nigeria Police for further investigation and possible prosecution.
The OPWS spokesman said the task force remained committed to sustaining intelligence-driven operations against criminal elements across the north-central and Taraba state, urging residents to continue providing credible and timely information to security agencies.
Zubairu maintained that cooperation between communities and security forces remained critical to defeating criminal elements.
