Sixteen kidnappers suspected of being responsible for kidnapping victims in Kogi State have been tracked by the Nigerian Army through joint security operations and rescued across local government areas.
The scene was a shootout that saw the criminals flee, leaving behind their hostages at a location near Adumu, DCG Area of the community.
The rescue came after commuters were kidnapped along the Ojuwo-Ajengo-Memarebo and Ojiwo-Itobe roads in Ojuwo Local Government Area (LGA) on Sunday, 9 August.
An immediate search operation was conducted by the troops of 21 Battalion and personnel of the Nigerian Navy ship Lugard, in collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, local vigilantes and hunters, as a result of credible intelligence, which led them to believe that the victims had been moved towards Adumu.
The Nigeria Army public relations (ARMY) said in a statement made by the Acting Director Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, that the operation was a joint one and intelligence played a role in guiding the rescue.
The security forces eventually tracked down the kidnappers and started firing at them. All 16 of the hostages were let go by the combined response, and the bandits fled into the woods, some reportedly shot.
Six adult males, six adult females and four children were rescued. They are going through documentation and medical evaluation prior to returning to their families, thus completing the operation from a rescue standpoint.
The operation was costly, though. A local hunter who helped in the rescue was killed in the incident, and a police officer was injured and is being treated. Their participation indicates the growing significance of locally situated security actors in helping to extend the reach of formal security actors in challenging operations at the level of the terrain and community.
The Kogi operation also illustrates how the strength of the military force, coupled with local intelligence and the presence of other security agencies, can be effective. Instead of being a single force to track the abductors, the operation saw the participation of the Army, Navy, Police and community-based security actors, thereby establishing a coordinated response that could follow up on the victims’ actions beyond the spot where they were initially abducted.
Cases of all 16 victims being recovered successfully further underscore the significance of timely intelligence exploitation in kidnapping cases, especially when the kidnappers try to get the victim to a remote location in a forested area away from the place of the attack.
The Nigerian Army praised the public for their timely information and asked citizens to continue cooperating with security agencies by reporting any suspected movements and activities. The Army, which noted that this information is still crucial to breaking up kidnapping rings and freeing criminal organisations from their actions, said it was still needed.
