Following an intelligence-driven operation indicating the illegal movement of people abducted by bandits, the Niger State Police Command has arrested a kidnapper and rescued 35 victims from insurgents terrorizing communities in the state.
The victims, comprising women and children, were rescued in separate operations conducted by law enforcement operatives across different parts of the state.
In one of the operations, police officers intercepted a vehicle along the Madaka–Makujeri road carrying 24 kidnap victims who had been held in captivity for over a year.
As gathered, the abductors were heading to Yauri in Kebbi State when they encountered the police teams, who foiled the illegal transportation of the captives during a stop-and-search operation.
In another successful operation in Agwara, 11 victims, five women and six children, were rescued while being ferried across a river en route to Kebbi State.
During the exercise, the police also recovered two magazines containing 60 rounds of ammunition at the scene.
The command’s Police Public Relations Officer, Wasiu Abiodun, said the operations were based on intelligence reports indicating that bandits were relocating captives due to military pressure in the Birnin-Gwari forest.
According to him, further investigations conducted after the rescue mission revealed that some victims had earlier been dropped off at Tegina.
Reacting to the development, the State Commissioner of Police, Adamu Elleman, praised the efforts of the officers involved and urged members of the public to assist security agencies with credible information that could lead to further rescues and arrests.
Meanwhile, the command has launched a comprehensive investigation to rescue remaining victims and track down other kidnappers involved in the network.
