Monday, August 3, 2026 -A joint military task force has rescued an abducted senior Nigerian Army officer, Lt. Col. Ofor Amobi, and a civilian, Mr. Ikechukwu Onwuanra, after an intensive 10-day search-and-rescue operation across forests and communities in Enugu State.
This is contained in a military operational report made
available to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Saturday, August 1, 2026 in
Abuja.
The breakthrough came in the early hours of Saturday
following sustained operations by troops of Sector 1, Operation UDO KA (OPUK
The search mission involved personnel of the 82 Division
Garrison, 103 Battalion (Rear), the Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service (NN
SBS), and the 197 Special Forces Battalion, operating under the leadership of
the Commander, 82 Division Garrison, with support from the Air Component.
According to the report, between 6:00 p.m. on July 31 and
6:00 a.m. on August 1, the joint troops continued search operations using
actionable intelligence across Inyi, Awlaw and Akpugo-Eze forests and adjoining
communities in Oji River Local Government Area of Enugu State.
At about 2:00 a.m., the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of
Inyi Division alerted the troops to the suspected location of the kidnapped
victims.
The troops immediately mobilised and launched a fighting
patrol into the area, where they discovered Lt. Col. Amobi and Mr. Onwuanra
abandoned at the edge of a forest. The civilian was found with a gunshot wound.
The victims were successfully rescued and evacuated to Inyi
before being moved to the 82 Division Medical Hospital for medical treatment
and comprehensive evaluation.
During preliminary debriefing, the victims disclosed that
they had been blindfolded shortly after their abduction and transported to an
unknown location.
They said they were later abandoned in a forest around the
Enugu–Anambra border as the kidnappers came under sustained operational
pressure.
The military attributed the successful rescue to the
relentless pressure mounted by the joint force, supported by the Air Component,
which maintained continuous dominance of the suspected hideouts and denied the
abductors freedom of movement throughout the 10-day operation.
The sustained search-and-rescue mission ultimately forced
the kidnappers to abandon the captives and flee.
Further investigations and follow-up operations are ongoing
to identify, track and apprehend those responsible for the abduction
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