Abduction for ransom has increased in Abia State in recent times, particularly in the Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state.
Troops of the Nigerian army have rescued 13 kidnap victims along Ngodo-Isuochi Road in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia, Nigeria's south-east.
The army spokesperson, Onyema Nwachukwu, who disclosed this in a statement on Monday, said the troops rescued the victims in response to a distress call on Saturday.
Mr Nwachukwu, a brigadier-general, said the caller had indicated that a Sienna vehicle and L300 Mitsubishi bus had been attacked and their passengers kidnapped.
The attackers initially took the victims hostage and later dragged them into nearby bushes in the area, he said.
"The troops, on getting additional information from witnesses at the scene, went in pursuit of the kidnappers, trailing them into the bushes," he said.
"During the search and rescue operation, troops initially extricated five victims on the first day of the search and rescue operation, while a further search on Sunday 23 July 2023 led to the rescue of additional eight victims, totalling 13 rescued persons," Mr Nwachukwu said.
The army spokesperson said the rescued victims had been handed over to the police in the council area, apparently to facilitate the reunion of the victims with their families.
He did not provide details of the rescued victims and when they were kidnapped. But some photographs of the victims, attached to the statement, indicated that five were women, while eight others were men.
The army has appealed to all Nigerians to continue to support the troops and other security agencies with "timely and actionable information" to fight insecurity in the country.
Increase in abduction
Abduction for ransom has increased in Abia State in recent times, particularly in Umunneochi Local Government Area of the state.
Several persons have been kidnapped in the area lately.
The latest incident occurred less than two months after a Chinese national was abducted in Lokpanta, a community in Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.
The Chinese, Li Peiyin, a site manager, was rescued some days after.
Gunmen, in August 2022, abducted a Catholic priest and a seminarian along Okigwe-Umunneochi Road, a boundary between Imo and Abia States.
The victims were released two days later after reportedly paying ransom to the kidnappers.
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Barely 24 hours before the attack on the clerics, gunmen abducted a police officer at Mbala Divisional Police Headquarters in Isuochi Community, Umunneochi Local Government Area of Abia State.
The abducted officer, identified as Dickson, is a deputy superintendent of police and the divisional crime officer in the police facility. It is not yet known if he has been released.
In early July 2022, gunmen abducted scores of passengers along the Enugu-Port Harcourt Highway between Leru and Ihube communities.
In late July 2022, gunmen abducted some travellers in Lokpanta, a community in the same local government area of Abia State.
In May 2022, Samuel Kanu-Uche, the Prelate of the Methodist Church of Nigeria, was kidnapped alongside two other priests while they were on their way back from a programme in the local government area of the state.
The clerics were released about two days later after reportedly paying N100 million ransom.
