Troops of the Nigerian Army's 2 Division/Sector 3, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have successfully rescued nine kidnapped victims during ongoing clearance operations in Kwara State.

In a statement released on Tuesday, Polycarp Okoye, the acting deputy director of army public relations, confirmed that the victims were rescued on Monday during a night patrol conducted along the Egbe-Okuran axis in Kogi State and Okoloke through Patigi in Kwara State.

Okoye stated that the victims, who comprise four men and five women, were abducted on September 24 from the Matoku community in the Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara.

He identified the rescued individuals as Abdullahi Umar (35), Alhaji Umaru Sarki Fawa (55), Labaran Abubakar (45), Umar Yanda (30), Hassana Muhammad (25), Maryam Muhammad (27), Aisha Idris (20), and Zainab Ahmed (12). The statement added that the victims were given first aid and food before being handed over to local authorities in Patigi to be reunited with their families.

"On interrogation, the victims revealed that about three weeks ago, terrorists raided their village, kidnapped several persons, and rustled an unconfirmed number of cattle," Okoye said.

"The victims further narrated that the bandits who took them suddenly became apprehensive, resulting from troops sustained operations in the area and consequently abandoned them and fled."

Okoye attributed the breakthrough to the ongoing clearance operations by troops across Esanlu, Patigi, Babasango, Etsuyum, and adjoining communities in Kogi and Kwara states.

He added that Chinedu Nnebeife, general officer commanding (GOC) 2 division and commander of sector 3, addressed the victims and commended troops for their efforts during a visit to Lata, Patigi LGA.

He also praised the synergy between the 12 and 22 brigades, urging them to sustain their collaboration for greater operational success.

Nnebeife appealed to residents to continue sharing credible intelligence that would help security agencies combat insecurity and protect lives and property in the region.