Troops from the 401 Special Forces Brigade of the Nigerian Army, in collaboration with Sector One, successfully rescued a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member and six other victims from kidnappers in Tse-Annaka, along the Wukari/Zaki-Biam route in the Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State.
The rescued corps member, Samuel Muekara, is a 29-year-old law graduate. The other victims, who were abducted at various times and dates in the same area, include 32-year-old Anaelechi Bob, 28-year-old Ayuba Luka, 30-year-old Ibrahim Umar, 48-year-old Rabiu Muhammad, 17-year-old Buhari Ahmadu Saleh, and 47-year-old Blessing Ayuba.
A security personnel who spoke with us on condition of anonymity identified the bandits terrorising the Sankara axis as “Full Fire”, Ayongo, Chen and his group.
He said the bandits belong to the gang of the notorious criminal kingpin in Benue, late Terwase Akwaza, also known as Gana
“These notorious armed bandits are well known to the people living in those areas and any attempt to get information from them, they claim not to know, whereas they know them.
“The people must understand that security is a collective effort from all and sundry and therefore, the communities should be able to always volunteer necessary information to security agencies, especially our troops to help them fish out the perpetrators of crime among them,” he said.
Some of the rescued victims who spoke at the military camp in Zaki–Biam, Ukum local government area where they were taken to, said they were kidnapped and kept hostage for days before the intervention of the military troops.
“Some of us were taken to the neighbouring settlements like Chito village, Adamawa village, Atereyange village, Ututu village and Pevkyaa village all of Ukum local government area where these heavily armed bandits are using as their hideouts.
“These armed bandits have made kidnapping in these communities their major source of income and they do it in broad daylight without fear.
”They are living with their families who usually come to give us food in their hideouts. People living around there see them perpetrating these evils but they are helpless to voice it out for fear of their lives.
“One of us (victims) known as Rabiu Muhammad who came to pay ransom for his cousin Ibrahim Umar, became a kidnapped victim himself after he had paid the ransom”, one of the victims said.
Another victim identified as Blessing Ayuba said she was also kidnapped after she came to pay a ransom for her son, Luka Ayuba.
On his part, the rescued youth corps member said that after the families of seven victims jointly raised over N20 million and paid as ransom with other valuables worth millions of naira forcibly taken away, they were still held captive until the military came to their rescue.
