Twenty-one kidnapped victims, including 15 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC), have been rescued from a forest in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The victims were rescued on Monday, August 31, from a forest between Egume and Ochaja following a coordinated security operation.
They were reportedly abducted on August 26 when bandits attacked road users along the Alloma–Ejule–Itobe road in Kogi State.
One of the rescued NYSC members sustained a gunshot wound to the leg during the incident and was immediately evacuated for medical attention after the victims were rescued.
The rescue operation was carried out by troops of the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS), local hunters and members of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN).
The successful operation brings relief to the victims and their families, who had been awaiting their safe return since the abduction.
The Nigerian Army said it would sustain its efforts to rescue the remaining kidnapped victims while intensifying security operations to protect residents and road users across the state.
