Troops of the Nigerian Army, operating under the 21 Battalion Quick Reaction Force (QRF), have destroyed a suspected kidnappers’ hideout in Edimogbo Forest, Igalamela/Odolu Local Government Area of Kogi State, recovering a substantial cache of ammunition and other items during an offensive operation.
Its Acting Director Army Public Relations, Col. Appolonia Anele in a statement issued Monday revealed that the operation followed credible human intelligence indicating the presence of suspected kidnappers hibernating in the forest.
Acting swiftly on the information, he noted, troops mobilised to locate and neutralise the criminal elements.
Anele added: “On approaching the hideout, the suspected kidnappers on sighting the advancing troops fired a shot to alert other members of the group before fleeing deeper into the forest.
“The troops immediately pursued the fleeing criminals deep into the forest but no contact was made. The troops however destroyed the criminal camp including all supportive structures”
Anele said items recovered from the hideout include 1,000 rounds of 7.62mm x 54 ammunition, seven bandoliers, two shovels, one hand pump, a mobile phone, a Glo modem, two packets of soap, a jerrycan of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS), clothing, pairs of shoes and six daylong motorcycles.
He stressed that exploitation of the general area is still ongoing to track down the fleeing suspects