Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 4 Brigade, under the 2 Division and operating as part of Operation WABAIZIGAN, have rescued 14 people who were kidnapped in Edo State’s Ovia North East Local Government Area.
The operation took place along the Lagos–Benin Expressway on Thursday night, July 30, 2026, following intelligence received by troops during a routine patrol.
In a statement released on Friday, the operation’s spokesperson, Kennedy Anyanwu, said the soldiers immediately launched a pursuit after receiving reports of the abduction.
He explained that the troops applied pressure on the kidnappers as they moved through their escape route, forcing them to abandon 11 victims before fleeing into a nearby forest.
“Acting swiftly and decisively, the troops immediately pursued the kidnappers along their withdrawal route, applying sustained pressure that forced the criminals to abandon 11 of the abducted victims and flee into the surrounding forest,” Anyanwu said.
According to him, the military later carried out a clearance operation on July 31, during which troops searched the forest and rescued the remaining three victims.
The rescue operation brought the total number of recovered hostages to 14.
The army spokesperson confirmed that all the rescued victims were in stable condition and had either been reunited with their families or continued their journeys.
He added that security operatives were still working to locate and arrest the fleeing kidnappers.