The Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service (NHFSS) announced on Monday that its operatives rescued a kidnap victim along the Nri-Enugwu-Ukwu road, situated between the Anaocha and Njikoka Local Government Areas of Anambra.
This information was shared in a statement by ACG Mark Okonkwo, the Zonal Commander of NHFSS in the South East, on Tuesday in Abuja.
Okonkwo stated that the successful operation occurred just three weeks after the rescue of two siblings from kidnappers and the recovery of stolen vehicles near the Nkwelle-Ezunaka area of Oyi Local Government.
He explained that the hunters received a distress call at 8:00 PM on Sunday from a passerby who witnessed several individuals forcibly putting someone into a vehicle along the route.
Upon receiving the information, Okonkwo quickly mobilized his team for a rescue mission and proceeded towards the reported location.
“When we arrived, the kidnappers began shooting wildly in an attempt to deter us. However, we bravely advanced, and the assailants fled, abandoning their captive by the roadside,” he said.
“Our swift response led to a positive outcome, and we were able to rescue a woman who had been tossed from the kidnappers’ speeding vehicle. We also recovered a stolen vehicle at the scene,” he added.
Okonkwo reported that the hunters had previously recovered another vehicle, stolen at gunpoint along the Neni-Nimo road—an area bordering Anaocha and Njikoka—on August 25.
He explained that contact information found in the recovered vehicle’s documents enabled them to locate its owner, who then confirmed the vehicle as his property.
The owner, Mr. Christian Ozonyiama, a 61-year-old resident of Nnewi and a native of Ezeagu Local Government Area in Enugu State, recounted that his vehicle was taken at gunpoint on that day along Neni-Nimo road.
Ozonyiama noted that he was en route to Nnewi from Awka around 8 PM on August 25 when armed men, posing as vigilante operatives, stopped his vehicle alongside another.
At first, he mistook them for real vigilantes as they searched a missionary bus ahead of him and then let it go.
It was only when they forced him out of his car and ordered him to sit on the ground that he realized they were kidnappers, not vigilantes.
They abandoned him on the dangerous, desolate Neni-Nimo road that night and sped off with his Toyota Highlander SUV.
Okonkwo expressed gratitude to the Deputy Commander-General (Technical Services), Dr. John Metchie, for his unwavering support in facilitating prompt rescue operations in Anambra and the South East to combat crime.
He also praised the Commander-General of NHFSS, Dr. Joshua Osatimehin, for his leadership in promoting discipline, diligence, bravery, and rapid response to rescue missions across Nigeria.
