Troops Kill Five Kidnappers, Rescue Victim in Plateau
Troops from Operation Enduring Peace in Plateau State have apprehended five suspected kidnappers and rescued a woman who was abducted in the state.
The operation occurred on Tuesday evening as part of a raid on a criminal hideout in Angwan Boka, Sopp District, Riyom LGA.
Captain Chinonso Polycarp Oteh, the spokesman for the Joint Military Task Force, confirmed the operation in Jos on Wednesday.
Oteh said, “Yes, it’s true. Our men neutralised five kidnappers and rescued a woman who was earlier abducted.”
He explained that the raid was carried out in response to credible intelligence provided by two suspects arrested on February 16 and later confirmed to be members of a kidnapping syndicate operating in the area.
“Acting on the information, troops mobilised to the hideout and rescued Hauwa Suleiman, who had previously been kidnapped by criminal elements,” he added.
He emphasized the importance of community support in crime prevention, saying, “We encourage the public to continue providing us with information. Information will be useful to us. Even though we will do our best, with credible and actionable information, we will be able to locate the criminal elements and deal with them, resulting in peace.”
Speaking about the troops’ mandate, he stated, “Our men have maintained an aggressive posture to decisively deal with criminals.” We will do everything we can to ensure peace throughout the Plateau. That is the Commander’s mandate: to ensure peace; that people can return to their farms and conduct their businesses without incident.
Residents of the Riyom community, including John Mairiga, confirmed the raid and the items recovered, which included three mobile phones, ₦17,600 in cash, and suspected illegal drugs.
Mairiga continued, “The woman, Hauwa Suleiman, who was saved by the troops during the operation, was discovered with no injuries and has been reunited with her family.”
Following an earlier attack on a military base on February 5, troops, working in tandem with the Civilian Joint Task Force, launched a counter-offensive along the Komala axis in Konduga Local Government, neutralizing the 16 terrorists on February 9, according to Lt Col Sanni Uba, Media Information Officer, Joint Task Force, Northeast Operation Hadin Kai.
