A joint military task force has rescued an abducted senior Nigerian Army officer, Lt. Col. Ofor Amobi, and a civilian, Ikechukwu Onwuanra, following a 10-day search-and-rescue operation across forests and communities in Enugu State.
According to security analyst Zagazola Makama, the victims were rescued in the early hours of Friday after sustained operations by troops of Sector 1, Operation UDO KA.
The operation involved personnel of the 82 Division Garrison, 103 Battalion (Rear), the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service, the 197 Special Forces Battalion and the Air Component.
Sources told Zagazola that troops carried out intelligence-led operations between the evening of July 31 and the morning of August 1 across the Inyi, Awlaw and Akpugo-Eze forests, as well as surrounding communities in Oji River Local Government Area.
At about 2 a.m., the Divisional Police Officer of Inyi Division reportedly alerted the military to the suspected location of the abducted victims.
Acting on the intelligence, troops launched a fighting patrol and found Lt. Col. Amobi and Onwuanra abandoned at the edge of a forest. The civilian was discovered with a gunshot wound.
The victims were immediately evacuated to Inyi before being transferred to the 82 Division Medical Hospital for treatment and further medical evaluation.
During preliminary debriefing, the victims reportedly told troops they were blindfolded shortly after being abducted and taken to an unknown location. They said their captors later abandoned them in a forest around the Enugu-Anambra border as military operations intensified.
Military sources attributed the successful rescue to sustained pressure mounted by the joint task force, supported by the Air Component, which maintained surveillance over suspected hideouts and restricted the movement of the abductors throughout the operation.
The sources added that the relentless search operation forced the kidnappers to abandon the victims and flee.
Security agencies have continued follow-up operations to identify, track and arrest those behind the abduction, Zagazola Makama reported.
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