Soldiers foil terror attacks, rescue 23 kidnapped victims in Sokoto

…arrest four Lakurawa members

Troops of Sector 2, Joint Task Force North West, Operation Fansan Yamma, have rescued 23 kidnapped victims, foiled terrorist attacks and arrested four suspected members of the Lakurawa terrorist group in separate operations across Sokoto State.

The Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, disclosed this in a statement on Monday.

Danja said on Sunday, troops swiftly responded to a terrorist attack on Sabon Gari in Wurno Local Government Area, where the terrorists invaded the community and fired sporadically, causing civilians to flee.

He said the troops engaged the terrorists, forcing them to withdraw from the area, and rescued six kidnapped victims during the operation.

“One civilian who sustained a gunshot wound during the attack was evacuated to a medical facility for treatment,” he said.

In a separate operation the same day, Danja said troops responded to intelligence indicating terrorists’ attempt to cross the Sabon Birni–Takatsaba Road around Chabe Biyu in Sabon Birni LGA.

“Troops swiftly mobilised and laid ambush at the terrorists’ axis of advance. Troops engaged the terrorists with firepower on sighting, forcing them to flee in disarray. Troops dominate the general area in order to deny the terrorists freedom of action,” he said.

Similarly, om Sunday, troops responded to a distress call on terrorist activities along the Isa–Kwanar Isa–Shinkafi Road in Isa LGA.

“The troops made contact with the terrorists and engaged them with firepower, forcing them to withdraw in disarray. Exploitation of the area led to the rescue of 17 kidnapped civilians,” Danja said, adding that one of the rescued victims who sustained a fracture was evacuated to the General Hospital, Isa, for medical attention.

In another intelligence-driven operation, troops acted on information regarding the movement of suspected Lakurawa members driving a herd of rustled cattle from Sarma Village towards Illela.

“The troops swiftly mobilised to the location in Illela Local Government Area and established a snap check point along the suspected movement route. The operation resulted in the arrest of four suspected members of the Lakurawa terrorist group and the recovery of six cows,” he said.

According to him, the suspects and recovered livestock are currently in military custody for further investigation and necessary action, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the group.

Danja said the latest successes underscore the effectiveness of the intelligence-driven and proactive operations being conducted by troops of Sector 2 to disrupt terrorist activities, rescue kidnapped civilians and deny terrorists freedom of movement across the Joint Operations Area.