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Ten prospective members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) have been rescued following a highway kidnapping in Imo State.
The rescue in Imo came after suspected kidnappers intercepted two commercial buses carrying potential corps members and other passengers along the Onitsha-Owerri road in the early hours of Thursday.
Troops from the 34th Artillery Brigade responded to the incident at around 6.30am around Umonuwa village in Mbaise Local Government Area, deploying alongside personnel from the Nigerian Navy, Nigerian Air Force, Nigeria Police Force and the Department of State Services (DSS).
The coordinated operation led to the rescue of 10 of the kidnapped passengers and the recovery of the two buses.
The Imo Police Command, which also confirmed the rescue, said its operational assets and rapid response team remained deployed in the area as security personnel scoured the surrounding forests for the kidnappers and any remaining victims.
The command said the operation would continue until all those still missing had been rescued and the culprits brought to justice.
Among the passengers were prospective corps members who had traveled from Samonda area of Ibadan, Oyo State, and were on their way to the NYSC orientation camps in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State and Bende, Abia State. The developments are contained in the latest operational report on military activities across the country, which details separate engagements with terrorists and kidnappers in Imo, Adamawa, Taraba, Yobe and Sokoto states.
While security forces responded to the Imo kidnapping, troops in Adamawa state were engaged in simultaneous attacks on two military positions.
The attacks targeted troops of the 226th Battalion (Motorized) in Garkida, Gombi Local Government Area, and the 232nd Battalion in Garaha, Hong Local Government Area.
The troops repelled the assaults, forcing the terrorists to retreat towards Garkida on motorcycles.
An element of the Spartan army subsequently pursued the fleeing attackers and conducted attacks against them, killing 16 terrorists.
The operation also yielded a cache of weapons, including three AK-47 rifles, two pump action pistols, a Danish pistol and six AK-47 magazines, as well as cartridges.
The army said troops were conducting follow-up operations and reorganizing their defensive positions in the affected areas.
The attacks came as security forces continued efforts to contain terrorist activity in parts of the North East, where armed groups have repeatedly targeted military positions and vulnerable communities.
Meanwhile, in Adamawa, Sector 4 troops, working with the Rangers and Hybrid Forces, arrested four suspected terrorists during a combat patrol in parts of Hong Local Government Area.
The arrests followed ongoing operations aimed at disrupting the activities and movements of armed groups in the area.
In Yobe State, troops from Sector 3, Operation HADIN KAI, have arrested a suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) member in Babbangida, Tarmuwa Local Government Area. The suspect was arrested around 12.30pm on September 29.
According to the operational report, the suspect claimed to be an Islamic cleric operating in the Sahara area of Niger Republic.
Preliminary investigations indicated that he had traveled by truck from Zarmadu-Sahara general area of Niger Republic to Nigeria before proceeding to Borno State. A mobile phone, prayer mat, blanket, jacket, slate, washing powder and N396,200 were recovered from him.
In Taraba State, troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE responded to a suspected terrorist attack at Gwamagira settlement in Karim Lamido Local Government Area. The attackers, reportedly operating on motorbikes, engaged the troops but were forced to retreat, abandoning the livestock they had stolen.
The troops recovered the cattle and returned them to their owners. However, the attackers reportedly killed one civilian and kidnapped three others before fleeing the area.
The army said troops were continuing efforts to rescue the kidnapped victims and arrest those responsible for the attack.
In Sokoto State, troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA engaged terrorists along the Kwanar Isa-Shinkafi road in Isa Local Government Area. The troops forced the terrorists to retreat before establishing a continuous security presence in the area through patrols.
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