Troops of the Nigerian Army have rescued a kidnapped senior military officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ofor Amobi, and a civilian, Mr. Ikechukwu Onwuanra, after an intensive 10-day joint search-and-rescue operation in Enugu State.
The successful operation was carried out in the early hours of Friday under Operation UDO KA, following sustained military pressure that forced the kidnappers to abandon their captives.
According to a military operational report obtained by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, the rescue mission involved troops of Sector 1, Operation UDO KA, drawn from the 82 Division Garrison, 103 Battalion (Reinforced), the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service, and the 197 Special Forces Battalion.
The report stated that the troops, led by the Commander of the 82 Division Garrison, conducted extensive search operations across the forests and surrounding communities of Inyi, Awlaw and Akpugo-Eze in Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The breakthrough came after the military received credible intelligence from the Divisional Police Officer of the Inyi Police Division at about 2:00 a.m. on Friday regarding the location of the victims.
Acting swiftly on the information, the troops launched a fighting patrol to the identified area, where they found the abducted officer and the civilian abandoned at the edge of a forest in Inyi.
According to the report, both victims sustained gunshot wounds during their ordeal but were successfully rescued and immediately evacuated to the 82 Division Medical Hospital for treatment and medical evaluation.
Preliminary findings revealed that the victims had been blindfolded by their abductors, transported to an unknown location and later abandoned in a forest along the Enugu-Anambra boundary.
“The victims attributed their rescue to the sustained pressure mounted by the joint troops, which denied the kidnappers freedom of movement and compelled them to abandon their captives,” the military said.
The military added that further details of the operation would be made public as investigations continue.
The latest rescue underscores the ongoing efforts of security forces under Operation UDO KA to combat kidnapping and other violent crimes across the South-East.
