The Nigerian military has rescued 21 kidnapped victims, including 15 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), from a forest in Kogi State.
The victims, comprising eight males and 13 females, were rescued from the Egume-Ochaja forest stretch during a military operation.
The Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja, disclosed this on Monday while providing an update on military operations across the country.
He said 15 of the rescued victims were NYSC members who were among those kidnapped last week while travelling between Abuja and Bayelsa State.
“The Armed Forces of Nigeria is also happy to announce that a total of 21 victims, comprising eight males and 13 females, 15 of them being National Youth Service Corps members, have just been rescued within the Egume and Ochaja forest stretch in 2 Division area of operation,” Onoja said.
The rescue comes amid intensified military operations against terrorists and other criminal elements across the country, particularly following recent abductions in Niger State.
Onoja said military formations had continued to work with other security agencies and state government institutions through intelligence sharing and identification of areas requiring security intervention.
He cited the rescue of 308 abducted persons, mostly women and children, from the Kainji Lake National Park on August 5 as evidence of the security forces’ ability to locate and rescue victims.
“The recent rescue of 308 abducted persons, predominantly women and children, from the Kainji Lake National Park on the 5th of August, alongside subsequent operations to deny terrorists freedom of movement within the Borgu axis, demonstrates the commitment and capability of the security forces to locate, rescue, and safely return affected citizens,” he said.
According to him, troops are maintaining pressure on terrorists operating within and around the Kainji Lake National Park and other identified corridors to prevent further incursions and create conditions for displaced residents to return to their communities.
Onoja assured residents of Borgu and neighbouring communities that military operations would continue until the security threats in the area were sufficiently degraded.
He also urged families of abducted persons to remain calm and avoid actions that could undermine rescue operations, stressing that credible information was important to the success of ongoing efforts.
The Director said the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, remained committed to rescuing kidnapped victims, protecting civilians and facilitating the return of internally displaced persons to their communities.
Giving an account of military operations during August, Onoja said troops neutralised more than 332 terrorists and criminals, arrested 373 others and rescued 610 kidnapped victims.
He added that 201 insurgents surrendered to troops, while 88 arms and 2,077 rounds of ammunition were recovered during the month.
According to him, troops also recovered 686,800 litres of stolen crude oil products and destroyed 21 illegal refining sites as part of operations against oil theft and economic sabotage.
Onoja attributed the gains to intensified kinetic and non-kinetic operations, improved intelligence gathering and enhanced cooperation among security agencies.
He further disclosed that the number of terrorists who surrendered increased from 11 in June to 57 in July and 201 in August, which he said reflected growing pressure on terrorist groups.
He said the Chief of Defence Staff commended troops for their sacrifices in rescuing abducted citizens, neutralising terrorists and armed criminals, dismantling criminal networks, disrupting illegal oil bunkering and protecting critical national assets.