Troops of the Joint Task Force Northwest Operation Hadarin rescued 17 kidnapped victims and recovered large numbers of rustled cattle in the ongoing operation in Zamfara State.
This was disclosed by the spokesperson for Operation Hadarin Daji, Captain Yahaya Ibrahim.
According to Ibrahim, the rescue operation took place on September 14, 2023.
The spokesperson also revealed that the troops, while acting on a distress call, thwarted a kidnapping attempt.
He said two victims were rescued and the commercial vehicle carrying food stuff along corner Jollof in Shinkafi LGA of Zamfara State.
Similarly, ground troops deployed at Forward Operating Base (FOB) Danjigba while on a routine patrol intercepted and rescued three 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 September 13, 2023, the troops intercepted and rescued 8 kidnapped victims at Baggega, also in Zamfara.
Ibrahim stated that the victims had been in captivity for eight 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.