Troops rescue pregnant woman, three others in Kogi, Kwara operations

Troops have rescued four kidnap victims, including a pregnant woman, during separate operations conducted in Kogi State and along the Kogi–Kwara border as security forces sustained operations against kidnappers in the area.

The development was disclosed in a report by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency and security analyst covering the Lake Chad region.

According to the report, troops of the 121 Battalion deployed at the Abocho Patrol Base rescued a female victim at about 10:00pm on July 7 along the Abocho–Ajegwuwa–Ohuwda Road in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The victim reportedly told security personnel that she was abducted on July 5 from her residence in Ajiyolo Community in Dekina Local Government Area.

Makama further reported that troops of the 12 Brigade deployed at the Ogbagbo Block Position rescued a pregnant woman during a night patrol along the Jakura–Ogbagbo Road at about 3:45am on July 8.

The woman reportedly said she was kidnapped on June 28 near Obajana Community alongside three other victims and managed to escape after sustained military operations forced the suspected kidnappers to abandon their captives and flee.

The report added that troops stationed at the Isanlu Patrol Base also intercepted two escaped kidnap victims during a patrol around Latta Community along the Kogi–Kwara boundary on July 8.

“The victims disclosed that they were abducted while working on their farms in the Latta area of Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State and taken to a kidnappers’ camp in the Chigogo Hills area of Kwara,” the report stated.

Makama said all four rescued victims received initial care and were reunited with their families, while the military reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining operations against kidnapping and other criminal activities across the North Central region.