By George OPARA
Soldiers of the 12 Brigade Nigerian Army have rescued 23 abducted travellers after a crossfire in the early hours of Sunday in Kogi State.
This development was made public through a statement by the Brigadeโs spokesperson, Lt. Hassan Abdullahi, on Monday in Lokoja.
In the statement, the troops foiled a mass abduction attempt along the AyegunleโBunu Road in Kabba-Bunu council area, and freed 23 kidnapped travellers during the operation.
The army said two victims were confirmed dead while five others sustained major injuries during the attack.
Soldiers said the suspected bandits barricaded the highway and abducted several passengers travelling through the area.
Acting on a distress call received at about 3:30 a.m., troops deployed within Kabba metropolis immediately moved to the scene.
But the kidnappers had fled before the troopsโ arrival, the soldiers launched an aggressive pursuit along the criminalsโ suspected withdrawal routes.
โDuring assessment of the attack scene, troops recovered two Toyota commercial buses and a HOWO truck abandoned by the roadside.
โTwo victims were confirmed dead, while five others with injuries were promptly evacuated to St. Joseph Hospital, Kabba, where they are receiving treatment,โ the army added.
The brigade said the relentless pressure from pursuing troops forced the kidnappers to abandon 23 of their captives, who were rescued unharmed and secured.
The soldiers said the troops were currently dominating the general area and conducting intensive search-and-rescue operations to locate and recover any remaining victims still in captivity.
The army reaffirmed its resolve to deny criminal elements freedom of action and pledged to continue working with other security agencies and local stakeholders to strengthen security across Kogi State and Nigeria.
They urged the public to support ongoing security efforts by providing timely and credible information to relevant security agencies to help prevent future attacks.
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