Over 18 abducted victims have been freed by the soldiers of Joint Task Force Northwest Operation Hadarin Daji, under the direction of the General Officer Commanding, 8 Division Nigerian Army, in the states of Zamfara, Kebbi, Katsina, and Sokoto.
The Force Information Officer for Operation Hadarin Daji, Captain Yahaya Ibrahim, stated this in a statement on Sunday.
He claimed that the troops stationed at the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Zamfara State’s Anka Local Government Area were successful when they freed five abducted victims following a shootout with armed bandits along the Anka-Baggega Road.
He claimed that while delivering products to Baggega Market in Anka LGA, armed bandits blocked Anka-Baggega Road and kidnapped numerous people, including the victims, in a Canter truck.
He continued by saying that two kidnapped individuals were freed from their farms by troops in Zamfara.
In a related development, the military mobilised to the villages in response to distress calls from villagers over armed bandits’ actions in Danfanmi village in Kaura, which resulted in the rescue of three victims.
“On September 8, 2023, Zamfara State troops from FOB Baggega intercepted and freed six kidnapped victims who had escaped from their captors in the Gando jungle.
The victims were taken from the Mahuta community in Kebbi State and spent 10 weeks in captivity, according to preliminary inquiry, the statement continued.
It further stated that two women who were abducted in the early morning hours when bandits broke into their hamlet by Tsafe LGA of Zamfara were freed by troops stationed there.
Major General Godwin Mutkuta, the commander of Joint Task Force Northwest Operation Hadarin Daji (OPHD), praised the soldiers for their grit, fortitude, and quick response to distress calls that resulted in the rescue of the victims.
