Troops of the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, operating under the 2 Division as part of Operation Wabaizigan, have rescued 14 persons abducted by suspected kidnappers along the Lagos–Benin Expressway in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State.
The rescue followed a kidnap incident that occurred at about 9:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 30, 2026, according to a statement issued by the Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, 4 Brigade, Lt. Col. Kennedy Anyanwu.
Anyanwu said troops on routine patrol received credible intelligence on the attack and immediately launched a pursuit of the kidnappers along their escape route. The sustained pressure forced the suspects to abandon 11 of the victims before fleeing into a nearby forest.
He said troops subsequently conducted a clearance operation in the forest on Friday, July 31, rescuing the remaining three victims and bringing the total number of rescued persons to 14.
According to the Army, all the victims underwent preliminary medical examination and debriefing, were confirmed to be in stable condition, and were reunited with their families or allowed to continue their journeys.
The Army added that efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing suspects, describing the operation as a demonstration of its operational readiness and intelligence-driven approach to combating kidnapping and other violent crimes in collaboration with other security agencies.
It also urged members of the public to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies to support efforts to improve security across Edo State.
Meanwhile, the Commander of 4 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. Ahmed Balogun, commended the troops for their professionalism, resilience and courage during the operation.
He reassured residents of Edo State and commuters along the Brigade’s area of responsibility of the Nigerian Army’s commitment to protecting lives and property, adding that troops would sustain offensive operations to deny criminal elements safe havens.
