Ayomide Awe
The Zamfara State Police Command has rescued 19 women and children who were held captive by bandits for 22 days following a coordinated security operation at a notorious hideout in the state.
The victims were reportedly rescued at about 10am on Saturday after security operatives stormed the bandits’ camp around Kungurmi village, acting on intelligence about their whereabouts.
The victims were said to have been abducted from Tungar Haki Village, via Wanke, in Gusau Local Government Area of Zamfara State, and taken to the hideout, where they were held for more than three weeks.
The rescue operation involved operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Zamfara State Police Command, personnel from Government House, operatives of the Department of State Services and local hunters.
The police spokesperson, DSP Yazid Abubakar, disclosed this in a statement, explaining that the joint security team launched the operation after receiving credible intelligence on the location of the abducted victims.
He said the coordinated operation led to the successful rescue of all 19 captives, who were found unharmed.
The rescued victims were identified as Hadiza Sani, Haliru Yahyah, Jamilu Shehu, Nura Abdul, Mubarak Musa, Laulatu Habibu, Balki Maigari, Abida Shuaubu, Zainabu Adamu, Nana Aisha Abubakar, Hasana Wakala, Bashariya Wakala, Amina Wakala, Maarufa Yakuba, Zainabu Yahuza, Fatima Rufai, Nasira Muntari, Hasana Danyaro and Hayashe Biliyam.
According to the police, all the rescued victims are indigenes of Tungar Haki Village and have since been reunited with their respective families.
The Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Muhammad Bello, commended the security operatives and local hunters involved in the operation, praising their courage, professionalism and collaboration in securing the victims’ freedom.
Bello reaffirmed the command’s commitment to intensifying efforts to rid Zamfara State of kidnapping, banditry and other criminal activities.
He also called on residents to continue supporting security agencies by providing timely and credible information that could assist in tracking criminal elements and preventing further attacks.
Zamfara State remains one of the worst-hit states in Nigeria’s North-West region, where armed bandits have continued to terrorise rural communities through mass abductions, killings, attacks on villages and other violent crimes.
The latest rescue operation comes amid persistent security concerns in the state, with rural residents frequently exposed to attacks and kidnappings by armed groups.
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