Odita Sunday 
Troops of the Joint Task Force, Operation ENDURING PEACE (JTF OPEP), have neutralised seven suspected criminals, rescued a kidnapped victim and recovered arms and ammunition during separate operations in Kaduna State.
The military said the operations were conducted on Tuesday and Wednesday, January 13 and 14, 2026, across parts of Kaura Local Government Area.
In a statement signed by the Acting Media Information Officer of JTF Operation ENDURING PEACE, Captain Joshua Atu John, the troops recorded the successes while carrying out Operation PEACE SHIELD within the Joint Operations Area.
According to the statement, troops of Sector 7 JTF OPEP acted on credible intelligence on Tuesday regarding the abduction of a girl in Kajim Village, Kaura LGA.
Captain John said the troops immediately mobilised and pursued the kidnappers after receiving the information.
“Contact was made with the criminals, and during the ensuing firefight, three of them were neutralised,” he said.
The neutralised suspects were identified as Yusuf Musa, Auwal Adamu and Kamal Abdul.
The statement added that the kidnapped victim was successfully rescued, debriefed by security personnel and reunited with her family.
In a related operation on Wednesday, troops raided the hideout of armed robbers on the outskirts of Kaura town, also in Kaura Local Government Area.
According to Captain John, the troops again encountered resistance during the raid and engaged the criminals in a gun battle.
“In the meeting engagement, four criminal elements were neutralised,” he stated.
The suspects were identified as Abubakar Ibrahim (35), Ibrahim Isa (37), Suleiman Auwal (25) and Suleiman Tahiru.
The troops recovered one locally fabricated rifle, five rounds of 7.62mm ammunition and two motorcycles from the scene.
Preliminary investigations revealed that the suspects belonged to a criminal syndicate responsible for kidnapping, armed robbery and other violent crimes along the Ganawuri–Manchok corridor.
Captain John assured residents that JTF Operation ENDURING PEACE would continue to sustain pressure on criminal elements to guarantee public safety across the area.
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