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Nigerian troops rescue 14 kidnap victims on Lagos-Benin highway
🇳🇬 Nigeria /Energy & Infrastructure

Nigerian troops rescue 14 kidnap victims on Lagos-Benin highway

From Vanguard · () English

Translated from English, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

News Official statement Outcome reported
  • Nigerian troops rescued 14 kidnap victims during an operation on the Lagos-Benin Expressway.
  • The operation involved pursuing kidnappers who initially abandoned 11 victims before troops rescued the remaining three in a forest.
  • The rescued victims are in stable condition and have been reunited with their families, while efforts continue to apprehend the suspects.

Nigerian troops have successfully rescued 14 individuals who were abducted along the Lagos-Benin Expressway. The operation, conducted by the 4 Brigade of the Nigerian Army in Edo State, followed a distress call about a kidnapping incident that occurred on Thursday night.

The sustained pressure mounted by the troops forced the kidnappers to abandon 11 abducted victims before fleeing into the surrounding forest.

— Capt. Kennedy AnyanwuDescribing the initial phase of the rescue operation.

According to Captain Kennedy Anyanwu, Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for the 4 Brigade, troops on patrol received intelligence about the kidnapping and immediately launched a pursuit. The pressure from the military operation forced the kidnappers to abandon 11 of the victims before fleeing into the surrounding forest. A subsequent clearance operation in the forest on Friday led to the rescue of the remaining three victims.

All 14 rescued victims underwent preliminary debriefing and medical assessment and were confirmed to be in stable condition.

— Capt. Kennedy AnyanwuReporting on the condition of the rescued individuals.

All 14 rescued individuals underwent initial debriefing and medical checks, and were confirmed to be in stable condition. They have since been reunited with their families and allowed to continue their journeys. The Nigerian Army stated that efforts are underway to track down and arrest the fleeing kidnappers.

The operation underscored the army’s operational readiness and intelligence-driven approach to tackling kidnapping and other violent crimes in collaboration with other security agencies.

— Capt. Kennedy AnyanwuHighlighting the significance of the operation.

Brigadier-General Ahmed Balogun, commander of the 4 Brigade, commended the troops for their professionalism and courage. He reassured residents and commuters of the brigade's commitment to protecting lives and property, vowing to sustain aggressive operations against criminal elements. The army also urged the public to continue providing credible information to security agencies to aid in combating criminal activities.

I see what has happened as an attack, a violation of Spain's territorial integrity.

— Pedro SánchezResponding to the mass border crossing into Ceuta.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Vanguard in English. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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