Troops of the Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace have rescued two kidnapped victims in Plateau State and intercepted a suspected gun runner in Kaduna State, as part of ongoing operations against criminal elements within their Joint Operations Area.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace, Captain Chinonso Polycarp Oteh, said the troops recorded the successes during coordinated patrols and stop-and-search operations.
According to the statement, “as part of the ongoing deliberate efforts and decisive offensive against criminal elements terrorising innocent citizens within its Joint Operations Area, troops of Operation ENDURING PEACE deployed at Wase have successfully rescued two kidnapped victims around Kukawa in Kanam Local Government Area of Plateau State.”
It explained that the troops made contact with the criminals while they were moving the victims to their hideouts. “Troops who were on aggressive fighting patrol of the general area made contact with the criminals while conveying the victims to their hideouts, and they immediately abandoned the victims and fled into nearby bushes,” the statement said.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the victims were abducted at gunpoint on February 22, 2026, from Mansur village in Alkaleri Local Government Area of Bauchi State. “Victims have been debriefed and efforts are ongoing to reunite them with their families, while troops have continued to comb the bushes in order to apprehend fleeing criminals and possibly rescue other abducted victims,” Oteh said.
In a related operation, troops deployed at Sanga in Kaduna State intercepted a suspected gun runner during a stop-and-search operation at Kurmin Goro village. “Troops of OPEP deployed at Sanga, in Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have successfully intercepted a suspected gun runner during a stop and search operation,” it stated.
The suspect, identified as 36-year-old Vincent Ibrahim, was intercepted while conveying five fabricated rifles to an undisclosed location in Kafanchan. The suspect is currently in custody and undergoing interrogation.
The General Officer Commanding 3 Division and Commander of Joint Task Force Operation Enduring Peace, Folusho Oyinlola, commended the troops for their alertness and decisive action while assuring citizens of troops’ unwavering commitment to the protection of lives and property.
