Troops foil kidnappers, rescue 13 kidnap victims in Abia

Troops from the 14 Brigade of the Nigerian Army’s 82 Division successfully rescued 13 kidnap victims in the Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.

The operation was in response to a distress call received on Saturday, 22nd July 2023, reporting the kidnapping of passengers traveling in a Sienna SUV and an L300 Mitsubishi bus along the Ngodo-Isuochi road.

Upon reaching the scene, the soldiers learned that the attackers had fled into the nearby bushes, taking the passengers hostage. Drawing information from witnesses at the scene, the troops swiftly launched a pursuit and conducted a thorough search and rescue mission.

On the first day of the operation, five victims were rescued, and the effort continued into the following day, resulting in the successful rescue of an additional eight individuals on Sunday, 23rd July 2023, bringing the total number of rescued persons to 13.

In a statement released on 24th July 2023, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations, confirmed the rescue operation’s success and announced that the victims have been safely handed over to the Nigerian Police in Umunneochi.

The Nigerian Army expressed gratitude to law-abiding citizens for their continuous support and urged them to provide timely and actionable information to assist the troops and other security agencies in combating security challenges across the country.