Army rescues six kidnapped people in Benue

Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation Whirl Stroke, have rescued six kidnapped people near Gbise community in Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue State, the task force said. Ahmad Zubairu, the task force’s Acting Media Information Officer, said in a statement on Saturday that the victims were rescued on September 25. The troops were on patrol when they received information about the group’s release and mobilised to evacuate them to safety.

The rescued people were identified as Gabriel Enujuba, 50; Samson Magbo, 43; Alkasim Modu, 27; Manzo Bello, 27; Sani Abdullahi, 25; and Munza Yusuf, 25. Mr Zubairu said five of the victims told troops during preliminary investigations that they had been abducted along the Chenchengi-Takum Road. Mr Yusuf, he said, was taken from his residence in the Ahmadu General area of Takum Local Government Area in neighbouring Taraba State.

The task force said it had intensified intelligence-led operations aimed at locating and arresting members of the kidnapping syndicate responsible for the attacks. It also said patrols and human-intelligence gathering had been strengthened around vulnerable communities and major routes in the area. The rescue comes amid continued reports of kidnapping along roads linking Benue and Taraba.

In an earlier operation, troops and police rescued 13 passengers abducted from a commercial bus travelling from Enugu to Abuja along the Ankpechi-Omutele axis in Benue. Those passengers were rescued on August 20 from Amla-Cho Forest in Otukpo Local Government Area, five days after the attack. Security agencies have continued operations in parts of Benue to disrupt criminal networks and protect roads and communities.