From Molly Kilete, Abuja
The Nigeria Army Headquarters in Abuja said soldiers on internal security operations in the North West have killed four kidnappers and rescued 24 abducted persons at Kabugu Lamba village in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The rescued victims, including a child, regained their freedom during a rescue operation by troops of 223 Battalion, operating under Sector 1 of Joint Task Force, North West Operations Hadarin Daji.
The Director Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, who made this known in a statement, said: “Troops of 223 Battalion, operating under Sector 1 of Joint Task Force, North West Operations Hadarin Daji, have in a rescue operation conducted in the early hours of today, July 7, 2023 rescued 24 kidnap victims, including a child, after a shootout with notorious bandits at Kabugu Lamba; an abandoned village in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State, North West Nigeria. The gallant troops led by the Commanding Officer of the Battalion, stalked and swooped on the bandits, annihilating four of them in a ferocious fire fight that ensued.
The victims, including a minor, nine females and 14 males have been extricated and evacuated from the kidnappers’ hideout by the troops.