Seven kidnap victims have regained their freedom after troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE tracked their captors to a forest hideout in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State.
Acting Media Information Officer, HQ JTF Operation WHIRL STROKE, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu, disclosed this in a statement issued to newsmen on Tuesday in Maiduguri.
Lt. Zubairu said the victims were rescued on September 14 after troops, working with the Police and local vigilantes, moved into the Amla-Icho, Ogobia and Anpekchi axis on the strength of credible intelligence from residents.
According to him, the intelligence led the joint team to the suspected hideout, where the kidnappers fled as the troops closed in, abandoning the seven victims in the forest.
He said the security team searched the area and brought the victims out of the bush without any reported exchange of gunfire.
He added that the victims were subsequently handed over to security authorities for profiling and debriefing, while efforts continued to track the fleeing suspects.
The operation according to him, reinforced the importance of timely community intelligence in locating criminal hideouts and rescuing abducted persons before they are moved.
Operation WHIRL STROKE is the military’s ongoing operation across Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states.
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