Troops of the Nigerian Army have rescued Reverend Ephraim Yakubu, a cleric abducted in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, after engaging his captors in a sustained gun battle on Thursday morning.
Yakubu was kidnapped on December 3 in front of his residence at Agingi Village along Rukuba Road. Armed men suspected to be part of a kidnap syndicate operating in the Miango axis dragged him away at gunpoint, military sources told counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama.
At about 7:40 a.m. on December 4, troops conducting clearance operations around the high grounds of Miango reportedly encountered the kidnappers and opened fire, forcing the gang to abandon the cleric and escape into the bush.
Sources said Reverend Yakubu was later discovered tied up and hidden beneath a rock formation, visibly injured from the ordeal. Soldiers evacuated him to the 3 Division Military Specialist Hospital (3 DMSH) for urgent treatment.
During the operation, troops also recovered a locally fabricated rifle and a magazine loaded with eight rounds of 9mm ammunition believed to have been used by the fleeing assailants.
Military authorities confirmed the rescue and said efforts had been intensified to track down the kidnappers and dismantle their network, which has been blamed for recurring abductions and attacks in the Plateau corridor.
The region has witnessed repeated incidents of kidnapping, communal violence, and armed incursions despite ongoing operations by security agencies.
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