Troops of the Joint Task Force Sector One under Operation Udo Ka (OPUK), working alongside the Benue State Neighbourhood Watch, have successfully freed 14 kidnapped victims from a criminal hideout deep inside Orokam Forest along the Benue–Enugu border.
The operation took place on Friday, December 5, 2025, at about 1:30 p.m. after credible intelligence from local residents pinpointed the exact location where the abductees were being held in the thick forest straddling Ogbadigbo LGA (Benue) and Udenu LGA (Enugu).
Military sources told Zagazola Makama that troops deployed in Udenu swiftly mobilised and moved in with Neighbourhood Watch vigilantes. As the joint team closed in on the camp, the kidnappers opened fire.
The soldiers and vigilantes responded with overwhelming firepower, forcing the criminals to abandon their captives and flee into the bush in total disarray.
All 14 victims, men and women who had been abducted while returning from a burial ceremony the previous weekend were rescued unhurt.
The victims hailed from Ezimo Agu community in Udenu LGA (Enugu State) and Orokam in Ogbadigbo LGA (Benue State).
After medical checks and debriefing at the scene, the rescued persons were formally handed over to the Divisional Police Officer, Udenu Division, for immediate reunification with their families.
Troops expended 70 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition during the brief but intense exchange and returned to base by 7:21 p.m. without any casualty on the government side.
Security sources say patrols and monitoring of the entire Orokam Forest axis have now been intensified to prevent the fleeing kidnappers from regrouping or carrying out reprisals.
The successful rescue has brought huge relief to communities on both sides of the Benue–Enugu border, who have endured a surge in abductions along the forest corridors in recent months.
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