No fewer than 11 kidnapped victims have been rescued by troops of the Nigerian Army operating under Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) after dismantling a criminal network controlled by bandits in parts of North Central Nigeria.
The operation, which led to the destruction of a heavily fortified camp used by kidnappers as a base of operations, resulted in the arrest of two suspects and the recovery of several weapons used in carrying out their illegal activities.
The offensive was carried out between August 2 and 3, 2025, by troops under the command of Sector 1 leader, Colonel K.O. Bukoye, with aerial support from the OPWS Air Component.
The operation took place in Tse-Ahur and Chito, Ukum Local Government Area, Benue State, while Sector 3 troops set up a blocking position in Gindin Mangoro, Wukari Local Government Area, Taraba State, to intercept escaping bandits.
Acting Media Information Officer of OPWS, Lieutenant Ahmad Zubairu, disclosed this in a statement on Monday, revealing that during the operation, the bandits’ logistics hub and operational base were completely destroyed, cutting off their capacity to regroup or mount further attacks in the region.
“The troops stormed the criminal enclave with superior firepower, forcing the insurgents to abandon their victims and retreat,” Zubairu said.
“Eleven kidnapped victims—four females and seven males—were rescued and given immediate medical attention before being processed for reunification with their families.”
He added that troops recovered a cache of deadly weapons from the site, including four FN rifles, three G3 rifles, four AK-47 rifles, one PKT machine gun, a locally-fabricated Dane gun, several magazines, over 200 rounds of ammunition, five smoke canisters, and fetish items believed to be charms used by the criminals.
Reacting to the development, OPWS Force Commander Major General Moses Gara praised the troops for their “resilience, gallantry, and fighting spirit,” noting that the operation was in line with directives from the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa.
“Operation Whirl Stroke remains committed to pursuing criminals wherever they may be hiding,” Gara affirmed.
He also thanked the CDS and Service Chiefs for their “unwavering strategic guidance and logistics support,” and assured that the troops would maintain operational momentum to restore peace across Benue, Taraba, and Nasarawa States.
