Troops of the 4 Brigade, Nigerian Army, under the 2 Division, operating under Operation WABAIZIGAN, have rescued 14 abducted victims in Ovia North East Local Government Area of Edo State.

A statement on Friday by Kennedy Anyanwu, the spokesperson for the operation, said the incident occurred along the Lagos–Benin Expressway on Thursday at about 9:30 p.m.

“The rescue operation was conducted at about 9:30 p.m. on 30 July 2026 after troops on routine patrol received credible intelligence on the kidnap incident.

“Acting swiftly and decisively, the troops immediately pursued the kidnappers along their withdrawal route, applying sustained pressure that forced the criminals to abandon 11 of the abducted victims and flee into the surrounding forest,” he said.

Mr Anyanwu said that in a follow-up clearance operation conducted on 31 July 2026, the troops aggressively combed the forest and successfully rescued the remaining three victims, bringing the total number of rescued victims to 14.

He added that all the victims were confirmed to be in stable condition and were subsequently reunited with their families or allowed to continue their respective journeys.

The spokesperson said efforts were ongoing to track down and apprehend the fleeing kidnappers.