Troops of the Nigerian Army have rescued a police officer and six other travellers who were abducted by suspected kidnappers along a highway in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The spokesperson for Operation Enduring Peace, Polycarp Oteh, said in a statement that the rescue operation followed a distress call received around 9:30pm on Monday near Sopp village in Riyom LGA.
According to Oteh, troops deployed under Sector 6 of Operation Enduring Peace arrived at the location and found a green Opel Vectra abandoned on the road. The discovery prompted a search operation in nearby bushes.
He said the troops engaged the suspected kidnappers in a gun battle, forcing them to retreat and abandon the victims.
The rescued victims were identified as a police officer, Babagida Ishaku, and six travellers: Auwulu Haruna, Dung Jerry Dang, Anas Idris, Hussaini Mohammed, Idris Abdullahi and Kangyang Sunday.
Oteh said the victims informed the troops that they had boarded the vehicle in Akwanga, Nasarawa State, while travelling to Jos before they were intercepted and taken away by the gunmen.
He added that all seven victims were rescued unhurt, while security forces had intensified efforts to locate and arrest the fleeing suspects.
Operation Enduring Peace, he said, would continue to strengthen security operations within its area of responsibility to protect lives and property.
