Troops of the Nigerian Army’s 3rd Division have successfully rescued a retired senior officer, Colonel Ajanaku (rtd), barely hours after he was abducted by armed men in Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau State, thwarting a N200 million ransom demand by his captors.
The retired colonel was reportedly seized from his residence opposite the Salvation Army Church along Rukuba Road at about 12:45 a.m. on Monday, after the assailants forcefully gained entry into the house. The incident triggered an immediate security response, with troops launched into a coordinated manhunt across suspected criminal routes and hideouts.
Confirming the rescue, the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations, 3rd Division, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, said the victim was freed later the same day and promptly taken for medical evaluation. “I can confirm that the senior officer was rescued by our troops in the early hours of the evening. He has since been taken to our medical facility for a medical check-up,” Danja said.
Sources in Bassa disclosed that soldiers drawn from multiple sectors trailed the kidnappers through the Wildlife Park and into nearby caves and rocky terrain believed to serve as criminal hideouts. The operation later shifted to a covert approach, culminating in the safe rescue of Colonel Ajanaku at about 6 p.m. around the Rafiki axis of Bassa LGA.
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Before the rescue, the kidnappers had reportedly contacted the victim’s wife, demanding a ransom of N200 million and threatening to kill him if any rescue attempt was made. The military has not confirmed whether any suspects were arrested during the operation, but security presence in the area was intensified as operations continued late into Monday night.
The swift rescue underscores renewed military pressure on criminal gangs operating in Plateau State amid rising concerns over abductions and insecurity in the region.
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