Troops Rescue 14 Kidnap Victims After Gunfight in Orokam Forest

Troops of the Nigerian Army’s Joint Task Force, Sector One, Operation Udo Ka (OPUK), working in close coordination with the Neighbourhood Watch, have successfully freed 14 abducted persons during a mission conducted inside the Orokam Forest, a border zone situated between Udenu Local Government Area (LGA) of Enugu State and Ogbadigbo LGA of Benue State.

Dependable NG reports that security sources informed Zagazola Makama that the operation was carried out around 1:30 p.m. on Friday. The action was based on actionable intelligence received from local residents, which pinpointed the precise location of a suspected kidnappers’ camp hidden deep within the forest.

According to one of the sources, soldiers deployed in Udenu LGA immediately mobilized to the scene alongside members of the Neighbourhood Watch. The operation turned hostile upon their approach.

“While approaching the hideout, the criminals opened fire on the troops. The joint team responded with a high volume of fire, forcing the kidnappers to flee in disarray and abandon the kidnapped victims,” the source detailed.

The sources confirmed that all 14 victims, who had been abducted while returning from a burial ceremony over the weekend, were rescued safely and without sustaining any injuries. Preliminary findings showed that the abducted individuals were taken from two different communities: Ezimo Agu in Udenu LGA of Enugu State and Orokam in Ogbadigbo LGA of Benue State.

The victims were later handed over to the Divisional Police Officer of Udenu Division for the necessary process of reunification with their families. The source noted that the troops fired 70 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition during the heavy gunfight and returned to their base at about 7:21 p.m. without recording any casualty.

Security personnel have since intensified surveillance across the area to prevent criminal groups from regrouping or operating freely.