How troops Rescue Kidnapped Corper, six others in Benue

Troops of joint military operations of 401 Special Forces Brigade and Sector One Operation Whirl Stroke have rescued a kidnapped youth corps member and six other victims in Tse-Annaka, along Wukari/Zaki-Biam, Torov council ward in Ukum LGA of Benue State.

The corps member was identified as Samuel Muekara, aged 29 and a law graduate.

Other rescued victims who were kidnapped at different dates and times in the same locations include, Mr.

A security personnel who spoke with our correspondent on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the press, identified the bandits terrorizing the Sankara axis as “Full Fire”, Ayongo, Chen and his group.

He said the bandits belong to the gang of the notorious criminal kingpin in Benue, late Terwase Akwaza also known as Gana”.

“These notorious armed bandits are well known to the people living in those areas and any attempt to get information from them, they claimed not to know, whereas in the real sense they know them.

“The people must understand that security is a collective efforts from all and sundry and therefore, the communities should be able to always volunteer necessary information to security agencies especially our troops to help them fish out the perpetrators of crime among them.

Some of the rescued victims who spoke with our correspondent at the military camp in Zaki – Biam, Ukum local government area where they were taken to, said they were kidnapped and kept hostage for days before the intervention of the military troops.

“Some of us were taken to the neighboring settlement like Chito village, Adamawa village, Atereyange village, Ututu village and Pevkyaa village all of Ukum local government area where these heavily armed bandits are using as their hideouts.

“These armed bandits have made kidnapping in these communities as their major source of income and they do it in a broad day light without fear.

” They are living with their families who usually come to give us food in their hideout. People living around there see them perpetrating these evils but they are helpless to voice it out for the fear of their lives”.

“,One of us(victims) know as Rabiu Muhammad who came to pay ransom for his cousin Ibrahim Umar became a kidnapped victims after he had paid the ransom”, one of the Victims’ said .

Another victim identified as Blessing Ayuba said she was also kidnapped after she came to pay a ransom for her son, Luka Ayuba.

On his part, the youth corps member, Samuel told our Correspondent that after the families of seven jointly raised over N20 million and paid as ransom with other valuables worth millions of naira forcibly taken away, they were still held captive until the military came to their rescue.

“We are calling on the Federal Government to immediately give promotions to those military officers who rescued us from the wicked hands of the kidnappers.

“Federal and State governments should intensify security surveillance particularly in Ukum communities along Zaki -Biam, Wukari roads to curtail activities of these armed bandits to protect lives and property of citizens traveling on that routes.

Government must also beam searchlights also on the activities of transport companies operating in the country during odd hours who always fail to report kidnapped cases to the appropriate quarters”, he said.