Taraba: Troops rescue 21 persons from militia

Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS), the military operation in Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states, rescued 21 persons from the hands of their abductors, who were identified as a local militia group.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO), OPWS, Flight Lieutenant Audu Katty, disclosed this in a statement in Makurdi, the operational headquarters of OPWS on Thursday.

Katty explained that 20 of the victims who were commuters were rescued by OPWS troops along Kente-Chinkai road in Wukari Local Government Area (LGA) of Taraba State on Tuesday.

He further explained that a local with a machete wound was also rescued in the course of pursuing the militia that had earlier abducted the commuters.

The OPWS spokesman said the local, who was badly wounded, was taken to the primary healthcare centre in Kente for treatment.

According to Katty: “On 6th December 2022, the gallant troops of Op Whirl Stroke while responding to distress calls on the activities of a local militia along Kente-Chinkai Road in Wukari LGA of Taraba State mobilised and moved to the scene.

“The local militia in their numbers, dressed in full military attires on sighting advancing troops abandoned their hostages and fled into the bush.

According to him, the troops rescued all the hostages, the 20 commuters, from their abductors