Troops of the 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army, have rescued two kidnapped victims following a swift response to a kidnapping incident in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The victims, a woman and her six-month-old baby, were rescued after soldiers launched a search operation following the abduction of five members of a family in the area.
The incident occurred late on Wednesday night when suspected terrorists invaded a residence near Solid Rock School in Ijalu, Egbe, and abducted the victims.
According to the Army, troops, in collaboration with members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, immediately mobilised and pursued the attackers along their escape route.
The pressure from the combined security team forced the kidnappers to abandon the woman and her infant near the Oro axis before fleeing into nearby bushes.
The rescued victims were safely returned to their residence, while search operations were ongoing to rescue the remaining abductees and arrest the perpetrators.
A statement by the Acting Assistant Director, Army Public Relations, 12 Brigade, Lt. Hassan Abdullahi, said the operation followed a distress call from the affected community.
“Upon receiving the distress report, troops immediately mobilized in conjunction with members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), launching a pursuit operation along the terrorists’ withdrawal route,” he said.
He added that troops had earlier rescued 23 passengers during a counter-kidnapping operation along the Ayegunle–Bunu road in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area on June 1.
Troops had, on May 30, thwarted another kidnapping attempt in Lokoja and neutralised a terrorist during an ambush operation.
He said the Nigerian Army remained committed to protecting lives and urged residents to provide timely and credible information to security agencies.
