*Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff, commends the Commander and men of 271 NAF Detachment, urging Nigerians to continue to support the country’s Armed Forces and other security agencies by providing useful information leading to arrest of criminal elements and their sponsors 

Alexander Davis | ConsumerConnect

Special Forces (SF) under the 271 Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Detachment, Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State, morning on Saturday, December 17, 2022, carried out a rescue operation, leading to the rescue of seven Chinese expatriates earlier kidnapped and held hostage by terrorists for about six months.

ConsumerConnect reports  the rescued foreign nationals were earlier abducted by terrorists June this year, while working on a mining site in Ajata-Aboki, Gurmana Ward of Shiroro Local Government Area (LGA) of Niger State.

Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, Chief of Air Staff

Air Commodore Edward Gabkwet, Director of Public Relations and Information at NAF, in a statement issued Saturday, disclosed the Combat Search and Rescue operation, which comprised 35 Special Forces, was conducted at night in Kanfani Doka and Gwaska general areas of the Northern state.

Gabkwet stated that the covert operation compelled the terrorists to abandon their enclaves, weapons, and the kidnapped victims while fleeing for their lives due to the superior firepower of the Federal Government Special Forces.

The NAF Director of Public Relations and Information  said: “After the successful operations, the seven Chinese victims were flown to the 271 NAF Detachment Medical Centre for evaluation were two of the victims were stabilised.

“Subsequently, the seven victims were flown to the NAF Base Medical Hospital, Kaduna for further medical investigations,” NAF Spokesman noted.

Meanwhile, the statement noted that Air Marshal Oladayo Amao, Nigeria’s Chief of Air Staff (CAS), has since congratulated the Commander of the 271 NAF Detachment, Birnin Gwari, and his men on their continued determination and commitment, even in the face of danger.

Air Marshal Amao stated that they continued to make inroads into the final fringes of terrorists’ enclaves in Kaduna State and the North-West in general.

The CAS, in the statement, said: “I am very proud of what our Special Forces in Birnin Gwari and elsewhere have continued to achieve.

“I remain confident that we will soon free all areas of terrorists and their activities.”

Amao also enjoined Nigerians to continue to support the Armed Forces of Nigeria and other security agencies by providing useful information that will lead to the arrest of criminal elements and those supporting them.