Troops of the 12 Brigade, Nigerian Army, rescued 23 kidnapped passengers in Kogi State, the troops carried out the operation along the Ayegunle–Bunu Road in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of the state.
The rescue followed a distress call at about 3:30 a.m. on Sunday that armed bandits had blocked the highway and abducted some passengers.
The Nigerian Army confirmed two victims died during the attack while five others sustained injuries.
Medical personnel are treating the injured at St. Joseph Hospital, Kabba. The Army spokesperson, Lt. Hassan Abdullahi, issued the statement on Monday in Lokoja.
Troops deployed within Kabba metropolis responded immediately after the distress call and moved quickly to the scene of the attack. At the time, the attackers had already fled.
However, soldiers launched a pursuit along suspected escape routes, and this response formed part of ongoing counter-kidnapping operations in Kogi State.
Troops recovered three vehicles during the operation, found two Toyota buses and one HOWO truck abandoned by the roadside.
The Army said troops maintained strong pressure on the attackers which forced the kidnappers to flee and abandon their victims.
“The kidnappers abandoned 23 of their captives due to sustained pressure,” the Army said.
The Army confirmed that troops are still operating in the area and they are also conducting follow-up search-and-rescue missions saying that the goal is to track fleeing suspects and recover any remaining victims.
Military authorities reaffirmed their commitment to tackling kidnapping in the region.
