Troops of the Nigerian Army have rescued a kidnapped senior military officer, Lt. Col. Ofor Amobi, and a civilian, Mr. Ikechukwu Onwuanra, after a 10-day joint search-and-rescue operation in Enugu State.
This is contained in a military operational report made available to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, on Saturday in Abuja.
The military said the victims were rescued in the early hours of *Friday* following sustained pressure on their abductors.
The operation was carried out by troops of *Sector 1 of Operation UDO KA*, comprising personnel of the *82 Division Garrison*, *103 Battalion (Reinforced)*, the *Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service* and the *197 Special Forces Battalion*.
According to the report, the troops were led by the *Commander, 82 Division Garrison*, and conducted intensive searches across *Inyi, Awlaw and Akpugo-Eze forests* and communities in *Oji River Local Government Area* of Enugu State.
Troops received intelligence from the *Divisional Police Officer of Inyi Division* at about *2:00 a.m. on Friday* on the whereabouts of the victims.
They immediately launched a fighting patrol to the location where the victims were found abandoned at the edge of a forest in *Inyi*.
The military said both victims had sustained gunshot wounds and were evacuated to the *82 Division Medical Hospital* for treatment and medical evaluation.
Preliminary interrogation revealed the victims had been *blindfolded, transported to an unknown location and later abandoned* within a forest along the *Enugu-Anambra border*.
“The victims attributed their rescue to the sustained pressure mounted by the joint troops, which denied the kidnappers freedom of movement and compelled them to abandon their captives,” the report stated.
The military said further details on the operation would be made available later.
The successful rescue comes amid heightened security operations in the South-East aimed at curbing kidnapping and violent attacks in border communities.