The leader of the security team that rescued kidnap victims of Oriire local government area of Oyo State, General Officer Commanding, 2 Div, Nigerian Army, Ibadan, Maj. Gen. Chinedu Nnebuife, has shed more light on the operation.
Nnebuife spoke on Monday during the handing over of the 44 rescued victims who were rescued on Friday to Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital.
Nnebuife said the operation that led to the rescue of the 44 abductees was a month-long search.
According to the GOC, initial efforts on the day of the abduction yielded no results.
“The following day, a search team comprising troops, hunters, local vigilantes and Amotekun was deployed into the thick forest.
“Because of the nature of the forest, how thick it is, we had drone teams, we have Nigerian Air Force following up.
“But in some of those areas, if you are under that place, you can’t see rays of sunlight.
“Both air and drone surveillance failed to locate the victims, forcing the military to insist on ground operation,” he said.
The GOC explained that it was during one of those operations that the military recorded casualties.
Nnebuife further said he later took over the operation from the garrison commander and coordinated forces drawn from across the country.
According to him, agencies involved included: National Counter Terrorism Unit, under the Office of the National Security Advisor and Defence Headquarters Special Forces Team, comprising Army, Navy, Air Force, Police, DSS, Civil Defence and NIA.
He added that Nigerian Police, DSS and Nigerian Air Force formations in Oyo State; Air Force tactical operations group from Kainji with fighter aircraft; Operation Savannah Shield troops from Kwara for blocking operations, and Local vigilantes, hunters and Amotekun, were part of the operations.
He disclosed that the teams also had to look for other members of the gang and even members of their families outside of Oyo to Adamawa, Kano and different parts of the country.
That was also what put further pressure on them, the GOC stated.
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