In a high-stakes operation shrouded by the dense terrain of Ukum Local Government Area, the grim reality of Nigeria’s kidnapping epidemic was laid bare this weekend. Troops from Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) stormed kidnappers’ dens in Tse-Ahur and Chito, liberating eleven captives whose harrowing ordeals included betrayal and extortion. Among them were two serving police inspectors, one held for a staggering 48 days, revealing the audacity of criminal networks plaguing the Sankara axis.
Acting on persistent intelligence of abductions crippling the Kastina-Ala, Ukum, and Logo regions, OPWS Commander, Major-General Moses Gara, ordered a decisive response. Spearheaded by Sector 1 Commander, Colonel Kolawole Bukoye, and crucially supported by aerial surveillance from the OPWS Air Component, the mission unfolded simultaneously across targeted locations in Benue and neighbouring Taraba State on Saturday and Sunday.
Sector 3 troops established a critical blocking position at Gindin Mangoro in Taraba’s Wukari LGA, acting as a net to ensnare insurgents attempting to flee the Benue raid. This coordinated pincer movement proved devastatingly effective.
Emerging from the shadowy camps, the rescued victims – four women and seven men, including the two police officers – bore the physical and psychological toll of captivity. They were immediately provided with medical care and underwent profiling to facilitate their long-awaited reunion with traumatized families.
The raid yielded far more than just hostages. Troops uncovered a veritable armoury, painting a picture of a heavily armed and entrenched criminal cell. The haul included: Four FN rifles, Three G3 rifles, Four AK-47 rifles, One PKT machine gun, One locally fabricated dane gun, Fifteen AK-47 magazines & three FN rifle magazines, 31 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, 184 rounds of 7.62mm x 54 ammunition, One pistol magazine and Five smoke discharge canisters.
The personal accounts of the rescued police inspectors expose chilling layers of the kidnapping crisis. Inspector John Ngbede, attached to Numan Divisional Police Station in Adamawa, recounted the unimaginable: forty-eight days held captive deep within Benue. His mere presence there, far from his duty station, underscores the pervasive reach of these gangs.
Even more stark was the tale of Inspector Odah Patrick from Rivers Command. Granted leave for medical treatment, his journey home through Abakaliki into Benue turned into a nightmare on July 14th. Despite his captors extracting a crushing N3 million ransom, they refused to release him. “I spent 16 days in their custody before the OPWS intervention,” Patrick stated, a testament to the kidnappers’ ruthless greed and the critical timing of the military operation.
OPWS troops apprehended two suspects during the intense firefight. Preliminary interrogations, disclosed by Maj. Gen. Gara, unveiled disturbing roles: one suspect allegedly managed the group’s extensive armory, while the other was identified as the very security guard tasked with protecting the victims before their abduction – a stark case of insider betrayal.
Maj.-Gen. Gara commended the Chief of Defence Staff and Service Chiefs for bolstering OPWS resources. He framed the raid as a significant blow, but not a final one. “Troops will maintain operational pressure, dominate the battle space, and restore peace and security to Benue, Taraba, and Nasarawa States,” he declared, signaling an ongoing, intensified campaign against the kidnap gangs exploiting the region’s vulnerabilities. The recovered arsenal and the testimonies of the rescued stand as grim evidence of the scale of the challenge remaining.
