Relief as troops rescue kidnapped soldier, others in Benue

Troops of the Nigerian Army have successfully rescued Warrant Officer Ogbonna Charles who was kidnapped in Benue State a few days ago.

A statement shared on the verified X handle of the Nigerian Army on Thursday said Ogbonna – a serving soldier, was abducted in the Goh Area of Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue state on 25 May 2024.

While saying the rescued soldier is currently undergoing medical checks, the army said its recent operations in Benue have led to the killing of some terrorists and rescue of kidnap victims.

It reads: ” In a series of recently conducted counter terrorism operations, troops of the Nigerian Army have successfully quelled the nefarious activities of notorious kidnappers and rescued their hostages in Benue State. Acting on actionable intelligence, troops raided a notorious kidnap syndicate hideout in Sankara, Ukum Local Government Area, resulting in the neutralization of three terrorists and the rescue of two hostages. The operation also led to the recovery of one AK-47 rifle, one locally fabricated gun, assorted mobile phones, a camouflage uniform, and one motorbike.

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In a related development, troops on a search and rescue operation have successfully extricated from Kidnappers’ den, Warrant Officer Ogbonna Charles, a serving soldier of the Nigerian Army, who was abducted in the Goh Area of Gwer West Local Government Area of Benue state. The soldier, who was abducted on 25 May 2024, in Naka, is currently undergoing medical checks following his rescue.

Similarly, on 30 May 2024, Lieutenant Bot Elisha and 10 other passengers who were kidnapped while traveling on board a Peace Mass Transit Bus from
Abuja to Port Harcourt were rescued. The troops, diligently combing known and suspected enclaves of the kidnappers, successfully trailed and freed the victims. All rescued individuals are currently receiving medical attention.

In another significant operation, following an airstrike by the Nigerian Air Force on the hideout of a militia kingpin known as “Full Fire” on 29 May 2024, troops conducted an exploitation mission to the target camp. The operation resulted in the recovery of four Baofeng radios with six chargers, one laptop, two Citel phones, three Samsung tablets, and 22 SIM cards of various networks.

Additionally, 2 Moniepoint POS machines, numerous phone batteries, one HP hard drive, various family pictures, one burnt AK-49 rifle, a magazine containing 11 rounds of ammunition, and a pen containing 30 cows were seized.”

Relief as troops rescue kidnapped soldier, others in Benue