Troops from the 2 Division, 12 Brigade Lokoja, and the 22 Armoured Brigade, Ilorin, under Operation FANSAN YAMA, on Thursday, attacked criminal hideouts in Kwara and Kogi states, rescuing 21 kidnapped victims,

In a statement released on Saturday, the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, Lieutenant Colonel Polycarp Okoye, said the rescued victims include 14 men, five women, one infant, and four Chinese nationals,

Mr Okoye said, “In a sustained effort to eliminate bandits and other criminal elements operating in Kwara and neighbouring states, troops of 2 Division and Sector 3, Operation FANSAN YAMA, successfully rescued 21 kidnapped victims.

“The coordinated operations by troops of 12 Brigade, Lokoja, and 22 Armoured Brigade, Ilorin, led to the rescue of the kidnapped persons who include 14 males, 5 females, 1 infant, and 4 Chinese nationals.

“The victims revealed that they were abducted from different locations across Kwara and Kogi states. Following the troops’ intensified offensive, the bandits were forced to release their captives, some of whom had been with them for over four months.”

Stating that most of the rescued victims, due to their ordeal, were physically weak and unable to walk on their own, were taken to a military medical facility for treatment, adding that they are responding to treatment and will be reunited with their families upon full recovery.

General Officer Commanding (GOC), 2 Division, Nigerian Army, and Commander, Sector 3 Operation FANSAN YAMA, Major General C. R. Nnebeife, supervised the operation, providing relief materials and medical support to the victims.

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