Segun Atanda/
Nigerian Army troops have rescued five abducted persons and recovered decomposing bodies during a clearance operation in a forest area of Lokoja Local Government Area of Kogi State, as questions persist over claims that N16 million was paid as ransom following the abduction of worshippers from an Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) community.
A credible military source told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday that the troops, drawn from the Obajana and Kabba patrol bases, carried out a fighting patrol to Ankomi village in the Adankolo general area of Lokoja Local Government Area, acting on credible intelligence on the presence of suspected kidnappers.
According to the source, five kidnapped victims were rescued alive during the operation, while troops also discovered and evacuated decomposing bodies believed to be those of captives who died in the forest.
The military operation followed widespread reports that families and associates of ECWA worshippers abducted in Ayetoro-Kiri community paid a reported N16 million ransom.
Social media accounts claimed that seven victims were eventually released, four alive and three dead, with indications that some elderly women did not survive captivity.
Although the Nigerian Army and the Nigeria Police Force have not officially confirmed the ransom payment or the identities of those rescued, security sources said investigations were ongoing to establish whether the five victims rescued by troops were among those for whom ransom was reportedly paid.
The overlap in timelines has raised the possibility that some captives were abandoned by their abductors after ransom negotiations and later located by troops during the forest clearance operation.
Public attention briefly intensified after a short video circulated online showing some of the abducted persons seated in a forest location, including children and elderly women.
Newsmakerslive.org reports that Kogi State has increasingly become a transit route and hideout for kidnapping gangs operating across the North-Central region due to its dense forests and strategic location linking several states.
Military authorities said the Lokoja operation forms part of sustained anti-kidnapping efforts aimed at dismantling criminal hideouts, rescuing remaining captives and denying criminal elements freedom of movement within the state.
Residents were urged to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies as operations remain ongoing.
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