Taiwo Popoola
Eight passengers, including a serving soldier, have been rescued by troops of Operation Safe Haven (OPSH) after being kidnapped by armed robbers along the Jos–Makurdi road near Rafin Sanyi in Riyom Local Government Area, Plateau State.
The abduction took place around 10:30 p.m. on August 2, while the victims were travelling in an ash-coloured Sharon vehicle.
According to a security source who spoke with Zagazola Makama, the OPSH Sector 6 troops stationed at Sopp community quickly responded to a distress call and confronted the kidnappers.
Seven passengers were freed immediately at the scene, but one, Corporal Munyal Abdullahi from 3 Division Garrison, was initially taken away by the attackers into the nearby hills.
Preliminary inquiries disclosed that the soldier, attached to the 73 ST Brigade Fire Unit as a driver, had just completed his duty and was heading to Abuja without an official pass, carrying yet-to-be-confirmed items intended for a relative.
The kidnappers contacted the rescued victims by phone, demanding a ransom of N60 million for the release of the soldier.
Nevertheless, through a well-coordinated search and rescue effort by OPSH forces working alongside other units, the soldier was eventually rescued and reunited with the other passengers.
