How kidnapped Major in Delta community was rescued

By Kingsley Omonobi and Chancel Sunday

BOMADI—The Army officer, Major M. Josiah, abducted successful Bomadi Local Government Area of Delta State, has been rescued, but the service and the assemblage are making conflicting claims implicit however helium was freed.

While the Army said the rescue cognition was the effect of meticulous planning, quality gathering, and collaboration with assemblage leaders and members of Bomadi, assemblage sources said the large was rescued by a palm-wine tapper and lumberers from the heavy wood of Tuomo community, who recovered him tied to a boat.

Major Josiah was abducted from his lodge connected Sunday nighttime by equipped men, who stormed the lodge successful the aboriginal hours of the day, arsenic they ransacked the rooms and whisked him distant to the creeks of Burutu.

The army, successful a connection yesterday, said: “This synergy enabled the troops to way down the abductors and rescue the elder serviceman astatine Tuomor Waterside successful Bomadi connected September 9, 2025. 

“Although Major Josiah sustained gunshot wounds during the rescue operation, helium has been evacuated to a aesculapian installation for attraction and is receiving capable care.  

“The Commander, 63 Brigade, Nigerian Army/Sector 1, Joint Task Force, South South, Operation DELTA SAFE, Brigadier General M. Shonibare, commended the troops for their bravery and tactical prowess.”

But a assemblage source, who spoke to Vanguard said the service serviceman was recovered successful the heavy wood of Tuomo community, wherever the car successful which the kidnappers carried retired the cognition was abandoned.

Two colony sources, gave antithetic accounts of however helium was rescued arsenic well.

One of the sources said: “A young miss near her father’s palm-wine campy successful a canoe aboriginal successful the greeting to cheque her sportfishing net, and successful the process of checking the nets she saw the service serviceman sitting wrong a canoe successful the distance. She rushed backmost location to archer her dada what she had seen.

“Her father, connected receiving the news, followed his girl to the country and recovered Major Josiah sitting successful the canoe, whose hands were tied to 1 of the canoe seats. He besides sustained gunshot wounds successful 1 of his legs and hands.

“The palm-wine tapper untied him and took him to his camp. He went to different campy belonging to lumberers and told them the situation. You know, this is flood play and they brought him successful a canoe done the brook that leads to the assemblage this morning.”

The 2nd source, who besides spoke to Vanguard connected the rescue of Major Josiah, said: “The service serviceman was heard shouting and wailing successful the heavy wood of Tuomo community. That is the wood wherever palm-wine tappers and lumberers found their camps.

“On proceeding the anguished outcry from a distance, immoderate lumberers decided to hint the dependable to the location, and connected getting determination they saw the antheral who had gunshots connected 1 of his legs and hands. 

“They took him to a palm-wine tapper’s campy and narrated the concern to him. They decided that they would bring him to the community. They took him successful a canoe and rowed done the brook to the assemblage this morning.

“The assemblage past alerted the Bomadi Division of the subject Joint Task Force, JTF, which came and took him away.”

However, efforts to talk with the subject bid astatine Bomadi were unfruitful.

 as calls placed to the commander’s mobile telephone were not answered astatine property time.

But a root successful Bomadi, who confided successful our reporter, said that Major Josiah had already been taken to an undisclosed infirmary for aesculapian treatment.

The station How kidnapped Major successful Delta assemblage was rescued appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.