Soldiers attached to Operation FANSAN YAMMA have freed 27 kidnap victims, beaten back fresh abduction attempts and recovered stolen livestock and motorcycles in a series of coordinated raids across Sokoto and Zamfara states.
The operations, carried out between July 20 and 21, also disrupted terrorist movements in parts of Sokoto and along the Gummi–Sokoto highway, according to the military.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force (North-West), Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, said troops from the Forward Operating Bases in Shagari and Sifawa acted on credible intelligence to confront gunmen operating in the Wanke and Kaura communities of Shagari Local Government Area on July 20.
The encounter, he said, turned into a fierce exchange of fire in Kaura, with the attackers eventually scattering under heavy military pressure. Six captives were freed in that operation, while rustled livestock and two motorcycles were recovered and the victims reunited with their families.
“Troops made contact with the terrorists in Kaura community and engaged them with superior firepower, compelling the criminals to flee in disarray,” Danja said. “Six kidnap victims were rescued in the operation, alongside the recovery of livestock and two motorcycles.”
Hours later, troops stationed in Gandi, working with the Sokoto State Community Guard Corps, recovered 10 more victims — men, women and children — who had fled their captors and were found wandering the bush near Badanma community in Rabah Local Government Area. They were handed to community leaders before being returned to their families.
The following day, July 21, soldiers of Combat Team 12 responded to a distress call after gunmen blocked the Gummi–Sokoto highway in a bid to seize commuters. The troops gave chase, rescuing a further 11 victims and recovering a motorcycle.
Danja commended the soldiers for their “vigilance, professionalism and swift response,” and urged residents to keep supplying security agencies with timely information.
“We appreciate members of the public for their sustained support and prompt provision of credible information, and urge citizens to remain vigilant,” he said, adding that ongoing operations were steadily weakening terrorist and criminal networks across the region.
Source: Punch.
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