A joint military task force has rescued Lieutenant Colonel Amobi and a civilian, Ikechukwu Onwuanra, after a 10-day search-and-rescue operation across forests and communities in Enugu State.
The victims were rescued in the early hours of Friday following sustained operations by troops, according to counter-insurgency expert Zagazola Makama.
Makama said the operation involved personnel from the 82 Division Garrison, 103 Battalion (Rear), Nigerian Navy Special Boat Service and the 197 Special Forces Battalion, with support from the Air Component.
He said troops conducted sustained search operations between 6pm on July 31 and 6am on August 1, using actionable intelligence to comb forests and adjoining communities around Inyi, Awlaw and Akpugo-Eze in Oji River Local Government Area.
According to him, the operation received a major breakthrough around 2am when the Divisional Police Officer of Inyi Division alerted troops to the suspected location of the abducted victims.
The troops subsequently mobilised and launched a fighting patrol into the area, where they found Lt Col Amobi and Onwuanra abandoned at the edge of a forest.
Onwuanra was reportedly found with a gunshot wound.
The victims were rescued and evacuated to Inyi before being transferred to the 82 Division medical hospital for treatment and comprehensive medical evaluation.
Preliminary debriefing reportedly revealed that the victims were blindfolded shortly after their abduction and taken to an undisclosed location.
They later told investigators that their abductors abandoned them in a forest around the Enugu-Anambra border after coming under sustained pressure from security forces.
Military sources attributed the successful rescue to the prolonged pressure mounted by the joint operation, supported by the Air Component, which maintained surveillance over suspected hideouts and restricted the movement of the abductors.
The sustained operation eventually forced the kidnappers to abandon their captives and flee the area.
Further investigations and follow-up operations are ongoing to identify, track and apprehend those responsible for the abduction.
