Troops of the 12 Brigade Nigerian Army have successfully rescued six kidnapped victims from bandits in the Ejiba and Saminaka forests in the Yagba East Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The rescue operation, confirmed in a statement on Tuesday, 2 December, 2025, by the Brigade’s spokesperson, Lt. Hassan Abdullahi, involved coordinated air and ground offensives, supported by a Nigeria Police helicopter. The sustained pressure from the military forced the bandits to abandon their captives.
Five of the rescued individuals have been reunited with their families in Egbe and Ejiba communities, while the sixth is currently receiving medical attention.
The operation is part of the Nigerian Army’s ongoing efforts to curb banditry and kidnapping in the region. The rescue follows a recent attack where bandits abducted a pastor and several worshippers from a church in the Ejiba community on Sunday, 30 November, 2025.
