Troops from the 6 Brigade/Sector 3 of Operation Whirl Stroke (OPWS) have apprehended a suspected informant linked to kidnappers and recovered an AK-47 rifle, along with a vehicle, during two separate operations.
The suspect, identified as Grace Markus, was arrested for allegedly assisting kidnappers and other criminals in the region. According to a press release from Captain Olubodunde Oni, Acting Assistant Director of Army Public Relations for the 6 Brigade, she was apprehended on September 6, 2024, following the abduction of Mallam Saidu from his residence in Vesee, Ukum Local Government Area of Benue State. The operation was intelligence-driven.
Markus is believed to be the girlfriend of a notorious kidnapper known as Chen, who has been terrorizing the area. She is currently in custody, and investigations are ongoing to determine the full extent of her involvement in criminal activities.
In a related operation on the night of September 5, 2024, troops conducting a routine stop-and-search in Bantaje, Wukari LGA, flagged down a suspicious blue Toyota Yaris with the registration number Taraba KLD 652 XA, traveling from Wukari to Jalingo. The driver abandoned the vehicle and fled into the nearby bushes. A search of the vehicle uncovered an AK-47 rifle, an AK-47 magazine, and two identity cards from the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Mutum Biyu Branch, Gassol LGA, Taraba State, bearing the names Isa Ibrahim and Isa Garin Tukura.
The military is still investigating to trace and apprehend the driver and determine the involvement of the individuals connected to the identity cards.
Brigadier General Kingsley Uwa, Commander of the 6 Brigade, praised the troops for their professionalism and swift actions, urging residents to continue cooperating with security forces by providing timely information to help prevent and combat criminal activities. He reiterated the brigade’s commitment to maintaining peace and security in Taraba State and emphasized their zero-tolerance policy toward criminality.