Operation Whirl Stroke, a Joint Military Operation (JMO), rescued eight people from kidnappers operating along the Taraba-Benue border between Wukari and Zaki-Biam in the Ukum local government area of Benue State.
The troops paraded the rescued victims in front of select media houses at their military base camp in Zaki-Biam over the weekend.
The rescued individuals include an NYSC member and a lawyer who had been abducted for over a month and were held by their abductors while their families negotiated for ransom.
One of the victims, Rabiu Muhammad, who came to pay ransom for his cousin Ibrahim Umar, was also abducted after the ransom was collected from him.
A military officer from the 401 Special Forces Brigade/Sector One of the Operation Whirl Stroke team, who requested anonymity because he was not allowed to speak with the press, stated that the rescued individuals are Samuel Muekera (29 years old), Mr. Anaelechi Bob (32 years old), Ayuba Luka (28 years old), Ibrahim Umar (30 years old), Rabiu Muhammad (48 years old), Buhari Ahmadu Saleh (17 years old), and Blessing Ayuba (47 years old).
The officer mentioned that the 7 rescued victims were kidnapped at different times and dates while driving on the Zaki-Biam- Wukari road in different vehicles.
The military troops reported that the bandits terrorizing the residents of Ukum, Katsina, and the Sankera Local Government Areas are remnants of the late criminal gang leader known as Terwase Agwaza, also called Gana.
Some of the victims who spoke to The Nation said they were kidnapped while travelling along the Zakibiam-Wukari road and remained in the kidnappers’ den for more than one month before the military came to their rescue.
They said bandits operating in settlements like Chito, Tse Anaka, and Pevikya have made kidnapping a means of livelihood, leading to an increase in criminal activities in these areas.
The Nation also gathered that Blessing Ayuba, who came to pay ransom for her kidnapped brother, Tanko Ayuba, was also turned into a victim.
Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke, a military joint operation, are in Benue, Taraba, and Nassawa states, addressing security challenges. Over 20 million naira was collected as ransom from the families of those rescued .