Ten prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have been rescued following a highway abduction in Imo State.
The rescue in Imo came after suspected kidnappers intercepted two commercial buses conveying prospective corps members and other passengers along the Onitsha-Owerri Road in the early hours of Thursday.
Troops of the 34 Artillery Brigade responded to the incident at about 6:30 a.m. around Umonuwa village in the Mbaise Local Government Area, deploying alongside personnel of the Nigerian Navy, the Nigerian Air Force, the Nigeria Police Force, and the Department of State Services (DSS).
The coordinated operation led to the rescue of 10 of the abducted passengers and the recovery of the two buses.
The Imo Police Command, which also confirmed the rescue, said its operational assets and Rapid Response Team remained deployed in the area as security personnel combed surrounding forests for the kidnappers and any remaining victims.
The command said the operation would continue until all those still unaccounted for were rescued and the perpetrators brought to justice.
The passengers included prospective corps members who had travelled from the Samonda area of Ibadan, Oyo State, and were heading to NYSC orientation camps in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, and Bende, Abia State. The developments were contained in the latest operational report on military activities across the country, detailing separate engagements with terrorists and kidnappers in Imo, Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe, and Sokoto states.
While security forces were responding to the Imo abduction, troops in Adamawa State were engaged in simultaneous attacks on two military positions.
The attacks targeted troops of 226 Battalion (Motorised) at Garkida in the Gombi Local Government Area and 232 Battalion at Garaha in the Hong Local Government Area.
The troops repelled the assaults, forcing the terrorists to withdraw towards Garkida on motorcycles.
An Army Spartan element subsequently pursued the fleeing attackers and conducted strikes against them, killing 16 terrorists.
The operation also yielded a cache of weapons, including three AK-47 rifles, two pump-action guns, one Dane gun, and six AK-47 magazines, in addition to cartridges.
The Army said troops were conducting follow-up operations and reorganising their defensive positions in the affected areas.
The attacks came as security forces continue efforts to contain terrorist activity in parts of the North-East, where armed groups have repeatedly targeted military positions and vulnerable communities.
Meanwhile, in Adamawa, troops of Sector 4, working with Rangers and Hybrid Forces, arrested four suspected terrorists during a fighting patrol in parts of the Hong Local Government Area.
The arrests followed sustained operations aimed at disrupting the activities and movement of armed groups in the area.
In Yobe State, troops of Sector 3, Operation HADIN KAI, arrested a suspected member of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) at Babbangida in Tarmuwa Local Government Area. The suspect was arrested at about 12:30 p.m. on September 29.
According to the operational report, the suspect claimed to be an Islamic cleric operating in the Sahara area of the Niger Republic.
Preliminary investigation indicated that he had travelled by truck from the Zarmadu-Sahara general area of the Republic of Niger into Nigeria before proceeding to Borno State. A mobile phone, prayer mat, blanket, jacket, slate, detergent, and N396,200 were recovered from him.
In Taraba State, troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE responded to a suspected terrorist attack on the Gwamagira settlement in the Karim Lamido Local Government Area. The attackers, who were reportedly operating on motorcycles, engaged the troops but were forced to retreat, abandoning cattle they had rustled.
The troops recovered the cattle and returned them to their owners. However, the attackers reportedly killed one civilian and abducted three others before fleeing the area.
The Army said troops were continuing efforts to rescue the abducted victims and apprehend those responsible for the attack.
In Sokoto State, troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA engaged terrorists along the Kwanar Isa-Shinkafi Road in Isa Local Government Area. The troops forced the terrorists to withdraw before establishing a sustained security presence in the area through patrols.
