Soldiers raid kidnappers’ den, rescue pastor, nursing mother in Aba …arrest female cook, recover gun, stolen items

Soldiers attached to 144 Battalion under 14Brigade Headquarters, Ohafia have reportedly raided a kidnappers’ hideout in Osisioma Local Government Area of Abia State.

The soldiers from Ngwa High School Forward Operation Base (FOB), Charlie Coy during the operation which lasted over three hours reportedly rescued a pastor of one of the Pentecostal Churches based in Aba, identified as Rev. Daniel Obisike and a nursing mother.

The kidnappers, our correspondent gathered operate around Ekeapkara, Umuojima communities in Osisioma LGA and Omuma in Rivers State respectively.

It was learnt that the soldiers also arrested a female undergraduate of the Federal Polytechnic Nekede, Imo State whom they said was cooking for the kidnappers.

Sources at the battalion told our reporter that the soldiers during the raid recovered a locally made pistol, Den gun, about 7 mobile phones suspected to have been stolen from their victims.

While one of the kidnappers was said to have died during crossfire between the soldiers and the hoodlums who opened fire on sighting the security agents. This is even as other members of the group were suspected to have escaped with gunshot wounds they sustained during the shootout.

Narrating the incident, a source at the Brigade Headquarters told our reporter that the FOB personnel swung into operation through a tip off which led to the rescue of the victims and arrest of the female cook.

The source told our reporter that four members of the kidnapping group are at large, adding that they would soon be apprehended as their intelligence team work round the clock to bring them to justice.