Benue, Taraba Ops: Troops Rescue 657 Kidnap Victims Since Jan 2025
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Benue, Taraba Ops: Troops Rescue 657 Kidnap Victims Since Jan 2025
By Alabidun Shuaib AbdulRahman
Troops of the Nigerian military operating under Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have rescued 657 kidnapped persons and neutralised 124 bandits, armed herders and other criminal elements across Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states since January 2025.
The Commander, 401 Special Forces Brigade, Brigadier General Kolawole Oyebanji Bukoye, disclosed this on Tuesday in Makurdi while hosting defence correspondents on an operational media tour.
He said the achievements were recorded through sustained kinetic and intelligence-led operations conducted within the OPWS Joint Operations Area.
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According to him, troops also arrested 38 suspected gunrunners, leading to the destruction of illegal gun-fabricating workshops, while 98 assorted weapons and 6,364 rounds of ammunition of different calibres were recovered.
Bukoye added that troops recovered 2,465 rustled cows, all of which were handed over to their rightful owners to reduce reprisals and communal tensions.
He further disclosed that troops rescued Mr Itay, an Israeli national working with SCC Nigeria Limited, who was abducted along the Kufai–Ahmadu–Wukari Road in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State.
The brigade commander said operations would be sustained to further degrade criminal networks and improve security across the OPWS area of responsibility.
