close
Monday, August 4, 2025

Kidnapping: OPWS troops rescue police inspectors in Benue

Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke have rescued two police inspectors and nine others from their captors in Benue.

• August 4, 2025
Armed Nigerian Police
Armed Nigerian Police

Troops of Operation Whirl Stroke have rescued two police inspectors and nine others from their captors in Benue.

The commander of OPWS, Moses Gara, who disclosed this on Monday in Makurdi, stated that two suspects were arrested during the operation.

He said the operation, which was carried out on Saturday and Sunday, was headed by the commander of Sector 1, Kolawole Bukoye, and supported by the air component of the OPWS targeting Benue and neighbouring Taraba.

According to Mr Gara, 11 people, including two police officers, were rescued in the Tse-Ahur and Chito areas in Ukum LGA during the raid, while two suspects were arrested. He said the 11 rescue victims include four females and seven males.

He added that the high-impact operation was carried out simultaneously in the Tse-Ahur and Chito areas of Ukum LGA, Benue, with Sector 3 providing a strategic blocking position in Gindin Mangoro, Wukari LGA, Taraba, to interdict fleeing insurgents.

According to the commander, four FN rifles, three G3 rifles, four AK-47 rifles, one PKT machine gun, one locally fabricated dane gun, 15 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.

Mr Gara said that a preliminary investigation revealed that one of the arrested suspects was in charge of their armoury 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.

Speaking to journalists, John Ngbede, one of the rescued officers 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 at about 6:15 p.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 collected from others. They collected the money but refused to release me,” he said.

Similarly, 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 ₦3 million from him but refused to release him and held him hostage for 16 days. 

(NAN)

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

Abubakar Kyari

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

States

Olubadan-in-Council nominates Ladoja as new Olubadan

Mr Ladoja, who served as the state governor from 2003 to 2006, was endorsed by the Olubadan-In-Council on Monday.

Retired army personnel at the finance ministry Credit: Punch

Abuja

Retired soldiers shut down finance ministry over unpaid entitlements

The retired soldiers accused the Military Pensions Board of abandoning their case and hiding behind technicalities to evade responsibility.

HAUL OF DRUGS

States

NDLEA arrests 225 suspects, seizes 654.4kg of drugs in Osun

The agency also carried out 125 drug sensitisation and awareness programmes, with 116 drug users counselled and two rehabilitated.

Students writing WAEC

NationWide

WAEC releases 2025 WASSCE results

The council is expected to release data on the state-by-state breakdown of students’ performance in the exam.

Flooded area in Delta

States

Delta: Downpour wreaks havoc in Ogbeozoma

The major road that links the entire community of no fewer than 1,000 households occupied by civil servants, among others, has been taken over by gully erosion.

Loni Anderson

Showbiz

’80s WKRP in Cincinnati’ sitcom actress Loni Anderson dies at 79

The actress passed away just days after celebrating her birthday, with her death confirmed by publicist Cheryl J. Kagan.