A coordinated Nigerian Army-led operation involving the Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police Force, local vigilantes and hunters has recovered all 16 victims abducted by suspected kidnappers in Kogi State, demonstrating the operational value of intelligence-led cooperation among military, police and community security elements.
Desk: Defence & Security
Date: 11 August 2026
Time: 14:50 WAT
Location: Kogi State, Nigeria
The victims were abducted on Sunday, 9 August 2026, after armed criminals attacked commuters along the Ojuwo-Ajengo-Memarebo and Ojiwo-Itobe roads in Ofu Local Government Area.
Acting on credible intelligence that the captives had been moved towards Adumu Community in Dekina Local Government Area, troops of 21 Battalion and personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Lugard initiated a joint search and rescue operation with police personnel, vigilantes and local hunters.
According to a statement issued by the Acting Director Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, the joint team made contact with the fleeing kidnappers during the operation and engaged them in a firefight.
Faced with the coordinated response and superior firepower of the security forces, the criminals abandoned all the captives and escaped into the surrounding forest with gunshot wounds.
All 16 victims were subsequently recovered. The group comprised six adult males, six adult females and four children. The rescued persons are undergoing documentation and medical assessment before being reunited with their families.
The operation, however, came at a cost. One local hunter involved in the rescue effort was killed during the encounter, while a police personnel sustained injuries and is receiving medical treatment. The Nigerian Army acknowledged the sacrifice and commitment of those involved in the operation.
The successful recovery places joint operational coordination at the centre of the latest security response in Kogi. The deployment brought together military forces, the police and local security actors around intelligence on the movement of the abducted persons, allowing the response to shift from a conventional search operation to a coordinated pursuit of the kidnappers.
The Nigerian Army said the outcome underscores the importance of sustained joint operations and cooperation between security agencies and local security stakeholders in confronting kidnapping and other violent crimes.
The Army also credited timely public intelligence with supporting the operation and urged residents to remain vigilant and continue reporting suspicious activities through appropriate security channels.
The Kogi operation therefore demonstrates a wider operational requirement in Nigeria’s fight against kidnapping: the ability to rapidly fuse intelligence from local sources with military and police capabilities can determine whether abducted victims remain in captivity or are recovered before criminal groups can move them deeper into difficult terrain.
🏷️ Tags: Zig Press Release, Nigerian Army, Kogi Security, Kidnapping, Rescue Operation, Joint Security Operations, Nigerian Navy, Nigeria Police Force, Intelligence-Led Operations, Counter-Kidnapping, Civil-Military Cooperation, Internal Security
#ZigPressRelease #ZigDiariesDefence #NigerianArmy #Kogi #KidnapRescue #CounterKidnapping #JointOperations #InternalSecurity #NigeriaSecurity #IntelligenceLedOperations
~2.png)
0 Comments