Seventeen abducted victims have been rescued by troops of the Joint Task Force Northwest Operation Hadarin Daji in Zamfara state.
During the operation, a large number of rustled cattle were also recovered by the troops.
This was contained in a statement released on the Nigerian Army’s verified X handle on Friday by the Force Information Officer, Operation Hadarin Daji, Captain Yahaya Ibrahim.
Ibrahim said the troops, while acting on a distress call, on September 14, 2023, thwarted a kidnapping attempt, rescued two victims and recovered a commercial vehicle carrying foodstuff along corner Jollof in the Shinkafi Local Government area of the state.
Ibrahim said, “Similarly, ground troops deployed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Danjigba while on a routine patrol intercepted and rescued 3 kidnapped victims. A preliminary investigation revealed that the victims were abducted from their farmlands and held captive at Dangajeru forest where they successfully escaped due to the intensified clearance operation by troops within the area.
“In another development, on 13 September 2023, troops of Operation Hadarin Daji in Zamfara state intercepted and rescued 8 kidnapped victims at Baggega. Preliminary investigation revealed that the victims had been in captivity for 8 weeks and were able to escape from Gando forest due to the recent offensive operation and constant fighting patrol along the fringes of the forest.
“It is worthy to note that within the week covering from 11 – 15 September 2023, a total of 2 foiled kidnapping attempts, 17 rescued victims and 130 cattle were recovered by the troops of OPHD in Zamfara state.”
The Commander, Operation Hadarin Daji and the General Officer Commanding 8 Division Nigerian Army, Major General Godwin Mutkut has commended the troops for the relentless efforts and commitments in rescuing the victims. He charged the troops not to rest on their oars and to be on the offensive in order to continuously deny the criminals freedom of action.
General Mutkut assured the people of the troops continuous intensity and patrols in its areas of responsibility. He further called on the people to continuously providing timely information to the troops.
