Nigerian troops rescue three kidnap victims and raid Anambra hideout
The Nigerian Army says troops in Anambra State arrested a suspected kidnapper, used information obtained during questioning to locate a criminal camp and rescued three victims. Soldiers recovered rifles, ammunition, weapons and communications equipment, while follow-up operations target fleeing suspects and their alleged collaborators.
Nigerian Army troops have dismantled a hideout used by suspected terrorists in Anambra State and rescued three kidnap victims, the army said in a statement posted on Facebook on Friday. The operation began after the victims were abducted near the Osakwa General Area in Ihiala Local Government Area. Troops from 185 Battalion worked with the Anambra Vigilante Group during the rescue effort, according to the statement.
On 1 October 2026, soldiers carried out a snap operation and arrested a suspect identified by the army as Sunday Obi. The army said information obtained during his interrogation led troops to a camp at Abator in Ogbaru Local Government Area, across the Isieke waterside. Troops then used canoes to cross the waterways and reach the location.
The army said soldiers engaged the suspected terrorists, who fled with gunshot wounds. One suspect was arrested, but the statement did not give a figure for those who escaped or report confirmed casualties among the group. The army said it recovered AK-47 rifles and magazines, three pump-action guns, three locally made Dane guns, 62 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 149 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition and two cartridges.
Other recovered items included a solar generator, power bank, car battery, motorcycle batteries, solar panels and two mobile phones. The army said the equipment showed the logistical infrastructure supporting kidnapping and terrorist activity in the area and would provide intelligence for efforts against the wider network. It said Operation Udo Ka would continue coordinated military and intelligence operations.
Follow-up missions were under way to locate fleeing suspects, collaborators, logistics suppliers and other facilitators, while troops continued working with security agencies and local stakeholders.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.