OPWS Commander, Maj-Gen Moses Gara
Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have rescued two serving police inspectors and nine others from their captors in Benue State. The Commander, OPWS, Maj.-Gen. Moses Gara, who disclosed this on Monday in Makurdi, also said that two suspects were arrested during the operations and were being interrogated.
He explained that the operation was carried out following consistent news about the abduction of people in the Sankara axis of the state (Kastina-Ala, Ukum, and Logo LGAs). He said the operation, which was carried out on Saturday and Sunday, was headed by Commander, Sector 1, Col Kolawole Bukoye, and supported by the Air Component of the OPWS targeting the Benue and neighbouring Taraba.
During the operation, 11 persons, including two police officers, were rescued at Tse-Ahur and Chito areas in Ukum Local Government Area during the raid, while two suspects were arrested, according to Gara. He said the 11 rescued victims included four females and seven males, adding that they were given medical attention and profiled for onward reuniting with their families.
He added that the high-impact operation was carried out simultaneously at Tse-Ahur and Chito areas of Ukum Local Government of Benue, with Sector 3 providing a strategic blocking position in Gindin Mangoro, Wukari Local Government Area of Taraba to interdict fleeing insurgents.
The commander said that four FN rifles, three G3 rifles, four AK-47 rifles, one PKT machine gun, one locally fabricated Dane gun, fifteen AK-47 magazines, three FN rifle magazines, and 31 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition were recovered during the operation.
He said that 184 rounds of 7.62mm x 54 ammunition, one pistol magazine, five smoke discharge canisters, and several fetish charms were also recovered. Gara said that preliminary investigation revealed that one of the arrested suspects was in charge of their armory while the other was the victims’ security guard.
He commended the Chief of Defence Staff and other Service Chiefs for their continued support and for deploying more personnel for the operation. He assured that troops would maintain operational pressure, dominate the battle space, and restore peace and security to Benue, Taraba, and Nasarawa States.
Speaking to journalists, Inspector John Ngbede, one of the rescued Police personnel attached to Numan Divisional Police Station in Adamawa Command, said he was held captive for 48 days.
“On June 16, while I was on my way to my station between Zaki Biam and Wukari about 6:15p.m., we ran into people in military uniforms. They stopped us and took us to an unknown destination. They collected N3.5 million from me, but I don’t know what they collect from others. They collected the money but refused to release me,” he said.
Similarly, Inspector Odah Patrick of the Rivers Command said that he was granted leave to seek medical care only to be kidnapped on July 14 while coming through Abakaliki into Benue. He said the abductors collected N3 million from him but refused to release him, adding that he spent 16 days in their custody before the OPWS intervention.
- Source: NAN
