By ZAKAA LAZARUS
The Commander, 401 Special Forces Brigade, Brigadier General Kolawole Oyebanji Bukoye, has confirmed that troops of Operation Whirl Stroke have secured the release of 657 kidnapped persons and neutralised 124 bandits, armed herders and other criminal elements across Benue, Nasarawa and Taraba states since January 2025.
General Bukoye revealed this during a briefing with Defence Correspondents in Makurdi, Benue State.
The briefing was part of a media tour Organized by the Chief of Defence Staff for journalists covering the Defence Headquarters to provide firsthand information of operational activities of troops in the middle belt region.
He said the achievements were recorded through sustained kinetic and intelligence-led operations conducted within the OPWS Joint Operations Area.
According to him, troops also arrested 38 suspected gunrunners, leading to the destruction of illegal gun-fabricating workshops, while 98 assorted weapons and 6,364 rounds of ammunition of different calibres were also recovered.
General Bukoye further stated that troops recovered 2,465 rustled cows, all of which were handed over to their rightful owners to reduce reprisals and communal tensions.
He further disclosed that troops rescued Mr Itay, an Israeli national worker working with SCC Nigeria Limited, who was abducted along the Kufai–Ahmadu–Wukari Road in Takum Local Government Area of Taraba State.
He averred that due to the Non-kinetic operations, over 60,000 internally displaced persons have so far been returned to their ancestral homes while farming activities has also commenced.
The brigade commander also announced that the operations would be sustained to further degrade criminal networks and improve security across the OPWS area of responsibility.
