The Nigerian military has rescued 21 kidnapped persons, including 15 National Youth Service Corps members, during a security operation in a forest area of Kogi State.
The victims were rescued on Monday from the Egume-Ochaja forest corridor in Kogi, according to the Director of Defence Media Operations, Maj. Gen. Michael Onoja.
The rescued group consists of eight males and 13 females. The 15 NYSC members were among passengers abducted last week while travelling from Abuja to Bayelsa State.
The rescue comes as the military continues operations against terrorists and other criminal groups across the country, particularly in areas affected by recent abductions.
Onoja said the operation involved cooperation between the military, other security agencies and relevant state authorities. He explained that intelligence sharing and the identification of areas where security intervention was needed had helped ongoing efforts to locate victims and confront criminal groups.
He also pointed to the rescue of 308 kidnapped persons from the Kainji Lake National Park on August 5 as part of the military’s recent operations. Most of those rescued during that operation were women and children.
According to the defence authorities, troops have continued to put pressure on terrorists operating around the Kainji Lake National Park and other routes used by criminal groups in the area.
The military said the operations are aimed at restricting the movement of terrorists, preventing further attacks and creating safer conditions for residents who have been forced to leave their communities because of insecurity.
The Armed Forces also assured residents of Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State and surrounding communities that security operations would continue until the threats posed by terrorists and criminals are brought under control.
Families of kidnapped persons were urged to remain calm while security agencies work to secure the release of those still in captivity. The military also appealed to relatives and members of the public not to take steps that could interfere with rescue efforts.
Onoja said useful and reliable information remained important to the success of military operations, urging members of affected communities to cooperate with security agencies.
He added that the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Olufemi Oluyede, had maintained his focus on rescuing abducted persons, protecting civilians and supporting the return of internally displaced people to their communities.
The defence authorities also gave an account of military operations carried out across the country during August.
According to the figures released, troops killed more than 332 terrorists and other criminals, arrested 373 suspects and rescued 610 kidnapped victims during the month.
The military further reported that 201 terrorists surrendered to troops during the period. Security forces also recovered 88 weapons and 2,077 rounds of ammunition from different operations.
In the fight against oil theft and other forms of economic crime, the military said its personnel recovered about 686,800 litres of stolen crude oil products and destroyed 21 illegal refining sites.
The military attributed the reported gains to increased operations, better intelligence gathering and closer cooperation among security agencies.
It also recorded a rise in the number of terrorists surrendering to troops, with the figure increasing from 11 in June to 57 in July and 201 in August.
The latest rescue of the NYSC members and other victims adds to the military’s ongoing efforts to tackle kidnapping and other security threats affecting communities and travellers across the country.