Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation WHIRL STROKE, have thwarted a late-night kidnapping attempt along the Otukpo–Enugu Expressway in Benue State, rescuing several travellers from the clutches of armed men.
The development was disclosed on Wednesday by the Acting Media Information Officer of the task force, Lt. Ahmad Zubairu Zubairu.
He said the incident occurred at about 10 p.m. on December 22, 2025, when troops on routine patrol responded to a distress call around the Amoda axis of Ohimini Local Government Area.
According to the military, the gunmen emerged from the bush, briefly overran an existing checkpoint and stopped two 18-seater commercial buses conveying passengers from Jos, Plateau State, to Ibadan, Oyo State.
The attackers reportedly attempted to abduct all the passengers but were intercepted by troops of Operation WHIRL STROKE, resulting in a gun duel that forced the assailants to flee into the bush, abandoning their captives.
A total of 15 passengers were first rescued and handed over to the Nigeria Police Division in Otukpo. Although six adults and four minors were initially declared missing, follow-up operations led to the rescue of five more adults and all four minors. They are now in the custody of the Police Area Command in Otukpo, while efforts continue to locate one remaining passenger.
Reacting, the Force Commander of Operation WHIRL STROKE, Maj.-Gen. Moses Gara, commended the troops for their prompt response and professionalism.
He reaffirmed the task force’s commitment to safeguarding lives and property within its operational area covering Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states, stressing that sustained offensive operations, intelligence-led patrols and inter-agency collaboration would be maintained to deny criminals freedom of action in the region.