A touching moment has gone viral after security forces rescued 16 k!dnapped victims, including four children, during a coordinated operation against suspected baπdits in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.

In a video shared by John Adama Akola, the Special Adviser on Security to the Kogi State Governor, one of the rescued children was seen thanking the soldier who carried her out of the forest after the successful operation.

The victims were abd¥cted on August 9, 2026, when suspected baπdits att@cked three vehicles along the Ojuwo–Ajengo–Memarebo and Ojiwo–Itobe roads in Ofu Local Government Area.

Confirming the rescue, the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Appolonia Anele, said intelligence received at about 11:30 a.m. on August 10 indicated that the victims had been sighted around Adumu Community in Dekina.

According to the statement, troops of 21 Battalion, personnel of Nigerian Navy Ship (NNS) Lugard, the Nigeria Police, local vigilantes, and Hybrid Forces immediately launched a search-and-rescue operation.

The security team later engaged the suspected k!dnappers in a gun battle, forcing them to abandon the captives and flee into the surrounding forest.

The operation, however, came at a cost, as one member of the Hybrid Forces lost his life, while a police officer sustained injuries during the exchange of guπfire.

The rescued victims comprised six men, six women, and four children.

The emotional video of the rescued little girl thanking the soldier has since touched many Nigerians, with social media users praising the bravery and sacrifice of the security personnel involved in the operation.