Troops Rescue 74 NYSC Members from Boko Haram Kidnapping Plot Along Borno Road
Troops Rescue 74 NYSC Members from Boko Haram Kidnapping Plot Along Borno Road
Troops from the Joint Task Force (JTF), North East Operation Hadin Kai, successfully rescued 74 members of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) from a potential kidnapping attempt by Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists along the Buratai–Kamuya road in Borno State.
The incident took place on Tuesday night when the corps members’ vehicles broke down near a known kidnapping hotspot. The rescue was carried out around 9:05 p.m. after military personnel, monitoring the area through a CCTV system, detected suspicious activity.
Security sources indicated that the CCTV footage captured three buses moving suspiciously in the area, prompting an immediate response from a patrol team. Upon arrival, the troops discovered 74 stranded NYSC members—36 males and 38 females—whose vehicles had mechanical issues. The soldiers acted swiftly to prevent what appeared to be a planned abduction by Boko Haram or ISWAP militants operating in the region.
It was gathered that the corps members had been escorted by troops from the 7 Division Garrison in Maiduguri to Damaturu. However, after reaching Damaturu, they continued their journey to Hawul Local Government Area without notifying Sector 2 Headquarters or securing an armed escort. The group was on an evangelical mission to Hawul when the incident happened.
The rescued NYSC members are currently being hosted at the Buratai military base, where arrangements are underway to facilitate their safe transfer to their destination.
This recent rescue follows a similar operation days earlier, in which the same troops rescued 86 kidnapping victims and arrested 29 suspected Boko Haram collaborators within the same operational area.
