By Miriam Humbe
Troops of Sector 1, Sub-Sector 12, Operation ENDURING PEACE, deployed at Lamingo, have successfully rescued two kidnapped victims, arrested 11 suspected members of a kidnapping syndicate and recovered weapons during separate operations conducted within the Joint Operations Area of Plateau State.
Captain Chinonso Polycarp Oteh, the
Media Information Officer, Joint Task Force, Operation ENDURING PEACE disclosed this in a statement signed on Sunday.
The operation, conducted in the early hours of Saturday, 19 September 2026, following credible intelligence on the activities of kidnappers operating within the Rayfield and other parts of Jos North Local Government Area.
Acting on the intelligence, troops raided suspected criminal hideouts at Shere, Gwafan and Maza Hills, resulting in the arrest of 11 suspects.
The operation was further enhanced by the timely exploitation of intelligence obtained from two kidnapped victims who had been abducted from Gwafan Community on 18 September 2026.
During preliminary investigation, the victims positively identified 3 of the arrested suspects as members of the syndicate allegedly responsible for their abduction.
In a related development, at about 06:00pm on 19 September 2026, troops of Sector 3, deployed in Bassa Local Government Area, acting on credible intelligence, conducted a cordon-and-search operation which led to the recovery of one locally fabricated rifle and arrest of a suspect.
Troops are currently dominating the general area to possibly apprehend other members of the criminal syndicate.
Similarly, troops of Sector 8, deployed in Mangu Local Government Area, conducted a confidence-building patrol along the Tul–Ntam–Angwan Mata–Deng-Deng axis.
During the patrol, troops apprehended a suspected criminal around the Water Board Area who attempted to conceal a weapon upon sighting troops.
A thorough search of the suspect led to the recovery of one locally fabricated automatic weapon, 9 rounds of 7.62mm Special ammunition and one mobile phone.
The arrested suspects are currently in custody and undergoing further investigation and exploitation to unravel the activities of the syndicate, identify other members in order to facilitate follow-on operations to apprehend other fleeing suspects.
The Commander, Operation ENDURING PEACE, Major General Maxwell Dangana, commended troops for their professionalism, dexterity and timely response during the operations.
He charged them to sustain the aggressive posture and maintain the momentum of the operation to deny criminal elements freedom of action within the Joint Operations Area.
The Commander also appreciated the continued support and cooperation of the people of Plateau State and other relevant stakeholders.
He emphasized that the timely provision of credible information remains critical to the success of ongoing operations against criminal elements and efforts to consolidate the prevailing peace across the State.
Major General Dangana further reassured the people of Plateau State of the unwavering commitment of Operation ENDURING PEACE to protect lives and property, while strengthening existing peace and security efforts across the State.
