Two children and a local shoemaker remain in captivity despite the successful rescue of a woman and her four-month-old baby who were abducted during a bandit attack on Ijalu Compound in Egbe, Yagba West Local Government Area of Kogi State.
SaharaReporters gathered that Mrs Idowu Kemi Titilayo and her infant regained their freedom in the early hours of Thursday following a joint rescue operation carried out by local security operatives in Egbe and Nigerian Army personnel.
However, photographs obtained after the operation showed that two of Mrs Idowu’s children, a boy and a girl, as well as a man identified simply as JB, a popular shoemaker in Egbe, are still being held by their abductors.
Sources familiar with the development told SaharaReporters that security operatives have intensified efforts to secure the release of the remaining victims.
Residents of the community have also been urged to remain vigilant and provide credible information that could assist ongoing rescue operations.
The latest development hours after SaharaReporters reported the rescue of Mrs Idowu and her baby from captivity.
The mother and child were abducted on Wednesday night when suspected terrorists invaded the Ijalu area of Egbe during an attack that threw residents into panic.
The armed assailants reportedly stormed the area along the Solid Rock School axis, firing sporadically and forcing residents to flee for safety before whisking away their victims.
Community sources had told SaharaReporters that the attackers operated for several minutes without resistance before disappearing with the abducted residents.
“The terrorists came suddenly, and everybody started running. They were heavily armed and people could not confront them. They abducted Mrs Kemi and her little child and disappeared into the surrounding area before help could come,” a resident earlier told SaharaReporters.
Following the attack, local vigilantes and security operatives launched a coordinated search operation in collaboration with soldiers, leading to the successful rescue of Mrs Idowu and her infant.
While residents have welcomed the rescue of the mother and child, anxiety remains high within the community as families continue to await the safe return of the two children and the shoemaker still being held by the kidnappers.
(SaharaReporters)