Troops of the Nigerian Army’s Joint Task Force South-East, Operation UDO KA, have rescued three kidnapped victims and dismantled a suspected criminal hideout during an operation in Anambra State.

The operation was carried out by personnel of the 185 Battalion in collaboration with the Anambra Vigilante Group following the abduction of three people around the Osakwa General Area of Ihiala Local Government Area. The victims were subsequently recovered during a rescue operation.

The Nigerian Army said the operation continued on October 1, 2026, when troops conducted a snap operation that resulted in the arrest of a suspected kidnapper identified as Sunday Obi.

According to the Army, information obtained during the suspect’s interrogation led security personnel to a suspected camp belonging to a kidnapping and criminal syndicate in Abator, Ogbaru Local Government Area, across the Isieke waterside.

Troops and members of the vigilante group subsequently crossed the waterways to reach the location. The Army said the suspected criminals engaged the troops before fleeing the area after coming under superior firepower.

Security personnel recovered firearms, ammunition, communication devices, power equipment and other materials from the location. The Army said the discoveries could provide additional intelligence about the logistics and support network behind kidnapping and other criminal activities in the area.

The Army said follow-up operations are ongoing to locate fleeing members of the suspected network, as well as individuals believed to be providing collaboration or logistical support.

The latest operation forms part of the wider activities of Operation UDO KA, which has been conducting coordinated security operations across the South-East with the stated objective of disrupting criminal networks, dismantling their bases and preventing them from establishing safe havens.

The Nigerian Army also said its personnel would continue working with other security agencies and local stakeholders as operations continue across the region.

The rescue of the three victims and the raid on the suspected hideout represent two components of the security operation: recovering people abducted by criminal groups while simultaneously pursuing the networks believed to facilitate such crimes.

Authorities have not provided further details about the identities or condition of the rescued victims, and investigations into the wider network are continuing.