Troops rescue two kidnap victims, arrest 11 suspects in Plateau

Troops of Operation Enduring Peace have rescued two kidnapped victims and arrested 11 suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate during operations in Plateau State.

The Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Captain Chinonso Oteh, disclosed this in a statement on Sunday.

Oteh said troops of Sector 1, Sub-Sector 12, deployed at Lamingo, carried out the operation in the early hours of Saturday following credible intelligence on the activities of kidnappers operating within Rayfield and other parts of Jos North Local Government Area.

According to him, troops raided suspected criminal hideouts at Shere, Gwafan and Maza Hills, leading to the arrest of 11 suspects.

He said the operation was enhanced by intelligence obtained from two victims who were abducted from Gwafan community on September 18.

“During preliminary investigation, the victims positively identified 3 of the arrested suspects as members of the syndicate allegedly responsible for their abduction,” he said.

In a related development, Oteh said at about 6:00pm on Saturday, troops of Sector 3 deployed in Bassa LGA, acting on credible intelligence, conducted a cordon-and-search operation which led to the recovery of one locally fabricated rifle and arrest of a suspect.

Similarly, troops of Sector 8 deployed in Mangu LGA, conducted a confidence-building patrol along the Tul–Ntam–Angwan Mata–Deng-Deng axis, where they apprehended a suspected criminal around the Water Board Area who attempted to conceal a weapon upon sighting troops.

“A thorough search of the suspect led to the recovery of one locally fabricated automatic weapon, 9 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition and one mobile phone,” he said.

Oteh said the arrested suspects are currently in custody and undergoing further investigation to unravel the activities of the syndicate and facilitate follow-on operations to apprehend fleeing members.

The Commander, Operation Enduring Peace, Major General Maxwell Dangana, commended troops for their professionalism and timely response and charged them to sustain the aggressive posture to deny criminal elements freedom of action.

He appreciated the continued support and cooperation of the people of Plateau State and emphasized that timely provision of credible information remains critical to the success of ongoing operations.

Dangana reassured residents of the commitment of Operation Enduring Peace to protect lives and property and strengthen peace and security efforts across the state.

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