Benue: Troops Arrest Suspected Bandits as Police Rescue 4 Kidnap Victims
Security forces in Benue State have intensified operations against criminal gangs, recording breakthroughs with the arrest of suspected bandits and the rescue of kidnap victims in separate incidents, PRNigeria reports.
In the Sankara axis, troops under Operation Restore Peace, in a joint clearance operation, arrested three suspected bandits. The suspects were identified as Musa Idris of Angwan Solar, Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State, and John Nyor and Joseph Adawa, both of Vingir village, Katsina-Ala Local Government Area of Benue.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Idris linked two men, identified as Alhaji Warere of Sabon Geri, Takum, and Alhaji Ali, also known as Chop and Die, of Trailer Park, Takum, to the deadly attack on policemen at Agu Centre, Katsina-Ala. Nyor and Adawa were said to be informants to notorious bandit leaders known as Konyo, Anyogo, and Full Fire.
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According to Zagazola Makama, credible intelligence further indicated that many bandit leaders and their fighters had relocated to Peva village at the foot of the Guma Hills in Taraba, described as a long-standing criminal enclave. Security agencies have recommended intensified operations in the area to complement efforts in Benue.
In a separate operation, the Benue State Police Command rescued four kidnap victims after an exchange of fire with abductors along the Orokam–Owukpa road in Ogbadibo Local Government Area.
The victims were identified as Ogbonna Ifeanyi and Abubu Ogochukwu from Enugu Ezike; Caleb Mbah, a pharmacy operator from Ohebe Orba in Udenu LGA of Enugu State; and Ruth Chinemere, also of the same address.
Mbah had been abducted from his pharmacy shop on September 20 and held in the kidnappers’ hideout. On September 25, the abductors demanded a ransom of N5 million. Ogbonna and Abubu, who attempted to deliver the ransom, were also seized and detained with the other victims.
Police sources said the rescue was made possible after a villager alerted authorities about suspicious movements near River Enumabia. The kidnappers fled with gunshot wounds during the operation, abandoning the victims.
The rescued persons were taken to Orokam General Hospital for first aid and will be reunited with their families after debriefing. Meanwhile, a manhunt has been launched in the surrounding forests to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
Security authorities in Benue reaffirmed their commitment to sustaining coordinated operations to curb banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crimes in the state.
By PRNigeria
