Troops of Operation Enduring Peace have rescued seven travellers abducted by suspected kidnappers along the Riyom highway in Plateau State.
Security sources within Operation Enduring Peace, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to speak to the media, said the rescue operation followed a distress call received at about 9:30 p.m. on Monday near Sopp village in Riyom Local Government Area.
According to the sources, troops deployed under Sector 6 responded swiftly to the alert and arrived at the scene, where they found a blue Opel Vectra abandoned in the middle of the road with no occupants. The discovery prompted an immediate search-and-rescue operation in the surrounding bush.
The sources said the troops engaged the suspected kidnappers during the operation, forcing them to flee under sustained military pressure and abandon their captives.
The rescued victims were identified as ASP Babagida Ishaku, Mr Auwulu Haruna, Dung Jerry Dang, Anas Idris, Hussaini Mohammed, Idris Abdullahi and Mrs Kangyang Sunday.
The victims reportedly told the troops they had boarded the vehicle in Akwanga, Nasarawa State, and were travelling to Jos when armed men intercepted the vehicle and abducted them.
Military sources confirmed that all seven victims were rescued unharmed. They added that efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects.
The sources further disclosed that troops of Operation Enduring Peace have sustained routine patrols across the Joint Operations Area to safeguard commuters, schools, places of worship and other critical national infrastructure as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen security across Plateau State.