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Troops of the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, participating in Operation WABAIZIGAN, successfully rescued 14 kidnapped victims during a two-day operation in Edo State.
Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, Lt Col. Kennedy Anyanwu, confirmed on Friday that troops acted on credible intelligence following an abduction along the Lagos–Benin Expressway in the Ovia North-East Local Government Area.
Medical personnel assessed all rescued individuals, confirmed they were in stable condition, and reunited them with their families or allowed them to resume their journeys.
According to a statement from the brigade, the intervention began late Thursday evening.
“The rescue operation was conducted at about 9:30 p.m. on July 30, 2026, after troops on routine patrol received credible intelligence on the kidnap incident,” the statement read.
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“Acting swiftly and decisively, the troops immediately pursued the kidnappers along their withdrawal route, applying sustained pressure that forced the criminals to abandon 11 of the abducted victims and flee into the surrounding forest.”
Soldiers maintained pressure on the abductors the following day to recover the remaining captives.
“In a follow-up clearance operation conducted on July 31, 2026, the troops aggressively combed the forest and successfully rescued the remaining three victims, bringing the total number of rescued victims to 14,” the statement added.
Commander of 4 Brigade Brig. – Gen. Ahmed Balogun commended the troops, emphasising that forces will sustain aggressive operations to eliminate criminal hideouts across the region.
