Sixteen kidnapped victims travelling from Abuja to Onitsha in Anambra State have been rescued after security operatives engaged their abductors in a fierce gun battle along the Itobe–Anyigba highway in Kogi State.
In a video from 1.21 shared by TVC News, the victims were travelling in a bus when they were intercepted by the kidnappers, who took them into the bush.
The Kogi State Commissioner of Police said the rescue operation involved combined security operatives. Several of the abductors were killed during the gun battle, while others fled into the bush.
One of the rescued victims, Victor Anyichie, said the kidnappers forced them deep into the bush and demanded that they contact their relatives for ransom.
Anyichie said he told the kidnappers that he had contacted his family and they could raise about ₦500,000 or more. According to him, the statement made the kidnappers beat him.
Another rescued victim, Joshua Daniel, said he escaped into a nearby bush during the operation but fell while trying to get away.
Daniel said one of the kidnappers chased him with a cutlass and attempted to attack him. He used his hand to protect himself and suffered a serious cut, leaving him bleeding through the night.
The police commissioner urged residents to remain vigilant and provide credible information to security agencies.
Security operatives are also continuing efforts to track down the fleeing members of the kidnapping gang.
In his words, “They were telling us to call our people. I told them that I called my people that will raise 500,000, or more; that was when those guys beat my life.”