On Wednesday, Nigerian Army troops successfully rescued 18 female kidnapped victims and turned them over to the Katsina State government.
This comes only days after 55 wedding guests who were allegedly bringing a bride home along Damari town in the Sabuwa Local Government Area of the state were kidnapped by suspected gunmen.
Brig.-Gen. Oluremi Fadairo, the Brigade Commander of the Nigerian Army’s 17 Brigade in Katsina, stated that the soldiers conducted a rescue operation in the bandits’ strongholds at Yan-Tumaki and Dan-Ali forests.
He told how the troops engaged the militants in a gun battle before successfully rescuing the victims.
Fadairo then turned over the victims to Dr Nasiru Mu’azu, the State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs.
He emphasized the Nigerian Army’s readiness to continue working for the restoration of permanent peace in the state.
The commander charged the Brigade’s personnel to continue such rescue operations until all other kidnapped victims were freed.
Responding, Mu’azu reiterated the government’s full commitment to restoring permanent peace in the state.
Mu’azu noted that Governor Dikko Radda has made significant investments in the security sector, adding, “The investments have been yielding positive results.”
The commissioner praised the military and other security forces for their brave efforts to restore calm in the state and asked them to keep the pace.
He warned the bandits, kidnappers, and other criminals to repent promptly or face a slew of unpleasant consequences.
The commissioner also told security agents that the government was making every attempt to free the women kidnapped on their way to a wedding ceremony in Sabuwa Local Government.
He also recommended citizens, particularly in front-line municipal administrations, to avoid nighttime travel for their own protection.
Mu’azu further urged residents of the state to constantly help by sharing vital information about criminals and their hideouts.
The commissioner later presented N100,000 to each of the rescued victims on Radda’s behalf.
The rescued victims, all women, were kidnapped at various periods from the Karaduwa, Sayaya, Dangani, and Wawar-Kaza communities in Matazu, Musawa, and Kankara Local Government Areas.
Firdausi Bishir, a 13-year-old JSS two student, claimed to have been kidnapped from Sayaya and held captive for 91 days.
She thanked Allah for allowing the soldiers to rescue them via His immense generosity.
The child also thanked the governor for providing them with funds to start their own businesses once they returned home.