Trending 
Troops of the Nigerian Army operating under Operation UDO KA (OPUK) have freed 14 kidnapped travellers in a sweeping clearance mission through the dense Orokam Forest, which lies between Udenu LGA in Enugu State and Ogbadigbo in Benue.
A reliable military insider told journalists on Saturday that the group had been abducted while returning from a burial earlier in the week — a routine journey abruptly turned into an ordeal.
According to the source, the victims were rescued on Friday after soldiers, working alongside a local vigilance team, stormed the bandits’ hideout following actionable intelligence. As the team advanced, the kidnappers unleashed gunfire, attempting to hold their ground. Their resistance, however, quickly crumbled under the troops’ superior firepower, forcing them to scatter and leave their captives behind.
Preliminary checks revealed that the abducted persons came from two separate communities: Ezimo Agu in Udenu LGA, Enugu State, and Orokam in Ogbadigbo LGA, Benue State. They had been held in makeshift camps scattered across the thick forest.
The rescued individuals have since been handed over to the Divisional Police Officer in Udenu Division for profiling and eventual reunification with their families.
The source added that troops have heightened patrols across the area, determined to choke criminal elements of movement and operational space.
He reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s resolve to maintain pressure across all theatres of operation, insisting that safeguarding citizens remains a top priority.
