Troops Rescue Eight Kidnap Victims During Offensive in Plateau Forest

By Zainab Uzomah|Abuja

Troops of Operation ENDURING PEACE have rescued eight kidnapped victims during a clearance operation in Pandam Forest, Qua’an Pan Local Government Area of Plateau State.

The operation, conducted in the early hours of Wednesday by troops of Sector 9 deployed in Namu, followed credible intelligence on the activities of suspected kidnappers in the forest.

According to a statement issued on Friday by the Media Information Officer of Joint Task Force Operation ENDURING PEACE, Captain Chinonso Polycarp Oteh, troops engaged the kidnappers in a gun battle after making contact with the criminal group at about 3 a.m.

The statement said three of the victims escaped during the exchange of gunfire, while troops subsequently combed the forest and rescued five others, bringing the total number of rescued victims to eight.

The military said all the victims are safe and efforts are underway to reunite them with their families.

Following the operation, troops launched a manhunt for the fleeing kidnappers to ensure they are apprehended or neutralised.

Operation ENDURING PEACE said the successful rescue operation was welcomed by residents of the affected communities, who pledged to continue providing intelligence to support ongoing security operations.

The Joint Task Force commended members of the public for their cooperation and urged them to sustain the flow of credible information to help security agencies disrupt criminal activities and restore lasting peace across the joint operations area.