Olushola Omogbehin
The Nigerian Army through its Operation FANSAN YAMA, have successfully rescued 21 kidnapped victims in Kwara and Kogi States.
Lt.-Col. Polcarp Okoye, Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 2 Division Nigerian Army, made this known in a statement made available to newsmen in Ibadan on Saturday.
According to him, the rescue operations were coordinated by troops of 12 Brigade Lokoja and 22 Armoured Brigade Ilorin, as part of the continuous effort of the military to eliminate bandits and other criminal elements operating in Kwara, Kogi and their neighboring states.
The rescued victims who include 14 males, 5 females, 1 infant and 4 Chinese nationals revealed that they were abducted from different locations across Kwara and Kogi States.
Okoye said sustained effort by the troops and coordinated operations of 12 Brigade Lokoja and 22 Armoured Brigade Ilorin led to the rescue of the kidnapped persons some of who have been with the kidnappers for over four months.
He also disclosed that: “The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 2 Division, Nigerian Army (NA), and Commander Sector 3 Operation FANSAN YAMA, Major General CR Nnebeife, who has been coordinating the operations, ensured they were provided with necessary first aid and other relief items to assist them in recovering from the torture they had gone through in the hands of their abductors.”
Major General Nnebeife further sympathised with the victims, reassuring them that the division remained committed to sustaining the ongoing onslaught against all criminal elements.
Those that were rescued were immediately moved to a military medical facility for medical attention.
