The Kaduna State Police Command has said that 76 victims of kidnappers have been rescued by security operatives in the Giwa Local Government Area of the state.
Mohammed Jalige, the command’s spokesman, said this in a statement Monday in Kaduna
He said the victims, men, and women, were passengers from Sabon Birni LGA of Sokoto State traveling to different destinations.
He said, “On November 18, at about 11 pm, the Divisional Police Headquarters in Giwa received a report that a large number of bandits had blocked a section of Funtua-Zaria Road in the global area of Giwa LGA and abducted many commuters
Based on this report, a joint police and military team was immediately dispatched to the scene with clear instructions to unblock the road, root out the armed bandits and rescue any victims they may have abducted.
According to him, “reaching the location, a Ford open truck with Reg. No. APP 667 XG, was found and information garnered had it that a large number of passengers on the truck were moved off the road by the bandits.
This development engendered an immediate search and rescue operation by the operatives into the adjourning forest.
“In the process, the bandits were encountered and by the sheer force of firepower, pressure mounted on them by the security operatives.
"Give thanks to the Lord for He is good: His love endures forever."
“They were left with no option than to abort their nefarious mission and take to flight with injuries.”
Jalige said: 76 people abducted by the bandits were rescued after security operatives combed the forest for several hours.”
He said preliminary investigations revealed that the victims who were passengers on the truck were traveling from Sabon Birni LGA of Sokoto State, en route to different destinations when they were intercepted by the marauders.
The police spokesperson added that security operatives were still searching for the driver of the truck and two other passengers who were missing.
The statement said the Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Yekini Ayoku while noting this breakthrough which was achieved through strong inter-service coordination and collaboration, assured the people of continuous cooperation among all security agencies “to extricate the public space from the enemies of our collective security”.
