Soldiers arrest suspected kidnapper, rescue victim in Benue, Nasarawa states
Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation Whirl Stroke, have arrested a suspected kidnapper and rescued a kidnapped victim in separate operations in Nasarawa and Benue states.
The Acting Media Information Officer of the OPWS, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu, stated this in a statement issued on Sunday and made available to journalists in Makurdi.
According to him, troops of Sector 2 of Operation Whirl Stroke arrested a suspected kidnapper identified as Adamu Lamu at Agyaragu in Nasarawa State.
“The arrest followed a remarkable escape by one of the victims of the kidnapping syndicate, identified as Mr Nehemiah Elisha, aged 31″, the statement partly read.
The statement added that the preliminary information volunteered by Mr Elisha revealed that after he escaped from his abductors, he later sighted one of the suspected kidnappers at a market in Agyaragu.
“He (Elisha) immediately alerted troops deployed in the area, who swiftly responded and apprehended the suspect”, the statement continued.
The Acting Media Information Officer added that the arrested suspect had been handed over to the Nigeria Police for further investigation and necessary legal action.
Zubairu noted that the second incident also happened on Sunday, September 6, 2026, at about 10:07 am, when troops of COAS Intervention Battalion XI, deployed at Torkula, rescued a kidnapped victim, identified as Mr Vincent Nyado, along the Umene–Torkula Road.
According to him, the victim was found tied and abandoned by the roadside.
“Preliminary information revealed that he had allegedly been abducted by suspected terrorists. On sighting the approaching troops, the suspects reportedly fled into the surrounding bushes, abandoning their victim.
“The rescued victim was subsequently secured by the troops, while efforts are ongoing to obtain further information and identify the fleeing suspects,” the statement added.
While assuring that the troops remained resolute in their mandate to stem the rising tide of violence across their area of operations in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states, the Information Officer said that the troops had been charged to maintain the momentum of ongoing intelligence-led operations, remain vigilant and sustain close cooperation with relevant security agencies and local communities.
He also encouraged members of the public to continue providing credible and timely information to security agencies, promising that their cooperation remained critical to defeating criminal elements and creating a safer environment for citizens.