The abducted naval officer, Cynthia Akor and two others have been rescued by a joint taskforce that comprised the military, officers of the anti-kidnapping unit of the FCT police command, DSS, hunters as well as local vigilante group at a settlement in Nasarawa State.

Abuja Metro had earlier gathered that the officer, Cynthia Akor and two others, were abducted by gunmen on Friday around 7:34 pm at Mamman Vatsa Estate gate, Mpape in Abuja.

Confirming the rescue of the officer and the two other victims, FCT Deputy Commissioner of Police, operations, DCP Isyaku Sharu, said the victims were rescued between 2am and 5:30 am on Sunday, at a herders’ resettlement in Anguwan Mu’azu and Yelwa Hills, Nasarawa State.

He said the command, upon receiving a distress report, had in collaboration with military authorities, mobilized a joint operation led by the command’s anti-kidnapping unit that comprised personnel of the Nigerian military, DSS and the hunters.

According to him, shortly after the attack, the kidnappers contacted the victims’ families, demanding a ransom of ₦500 million for the naval officer and ₦200 million each for the two civilians.

He said, ‘’Upon receiving the distress call, an intense search-and-rescue operation by a combined team of the taskforce was conducted across Mpape, Gidan Bawa, Anguwan Mu’azu, and Yelwa Hills, covering areas in the FCT and Nasarawa State, where the victims were rescued at a Fulani settlement.”

He said four suspects had been arrested while a sum of N3.5 million suspected to be ransom money from previous kidnapping operations, was recovered from the suspects.

He said the victims were currently in stable condition and are receiving medical attention at the Nigerian Army Clinic, Abuja, even as he said efforts were ongoing to track and apprehend the remaining suspects currently at large.

DCP Sharu, who said security deployments had also been reinforced in Mpape and surrounding areas to prevent future occurrences, urged members of the public to go about their daily activities without any apprehension.