Soldiers foil kidnap plot, intercept gun runner in dual operations

Troops attached to the Joint Task Force, Operation Enduring Peace, have freed two kidnap victims in Plateau State and arrested a suspected arms courier in Kaduna State during separate security operations.

The development was disclosed in a statement on Tuesday by the Media Information Officer of the task force, Captain Chinonso Polycarp Oteh. He said the breakthroughs were recorded during coordinated patrols and stop-and-search duties across the Joint Operations Area.

According to the statement, troops stationed in Wase rescued the captives near Kukawa in Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau State.

“As part of the ongoing deliberate efforts and decisive offensive against criminal elements terrorising innocent citizens within its Joint Operations Area, troops of Operation ENDURING PEACE deployed at Wase have successfully rescued two kidnapped victims around Kukawa in Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau State,” the statement read.

The victims were reportedly being moved to a hideout when soldiers engaged the abductors.K

“Troops who were on aggressive fighting patrol of the general area made contact with the criminals while conveying the victims to their hideouts, and they immediately abandoned the victims and fled into nearby bushes,” it added.

Preliminary findings showed that the victims had earlier been seized at gunpoint.

“Preliminary investigation revealed that the rescued victims were abducted at gunpoint on 22 February 2026 from Mansur village in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State.”

The military said the freed individuals have been debriefed and efforts are underway to reunite them with their families. Security personnel are continuing combing operations in the area to track down the fleeing suspects and possibly locate other victims.

In a separate exercise, troops deployed in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State intercepted a suspected gun runner at Kurmin Goro village.

“Troops of OPEP deployed at Sanga, in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have successfully intercepted a suspected gun runner during a stop and search operation,” the statement said.

The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Vincent Ibrahim, was allegedly transporting five locally made rifles to an undisclosed destination in Kafanchan. He is currently in custody and “undergoing interrogation.”