In a week-long nationwide offensive, Nigeria’s Armed Forces rescued 363 kidnapped victims and arrested scores of terrorists, informants and logistics suppliers, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) announced Friday.
The largest single operation freed 308 abducted persons – including 163 Kwara indigenes and 145 Niger State residents, mostly women and children from Kainji Lake National Park. In Borno, troops foiled an abduction attempt on July 31, rescuing 31 persons, and later discovered two women and two children held captive since 2023.
Other operations rescued victims in Benue, Kogi, Edo and elsewhere. Troops also dismantled illegal refining sites, recovered arms and ammunition, and arrested suspects linked to ambushes on soldiers. The DHQ vowed to sustain the tempo until peace is fully restored nationwide.