The Nigerian Army has said troops of Operation Hadarin Daji have rescued no fewer than 24 persons abducted by bandits in Zamfara State.
The service said the victims were freed after soldiers engaged the bandits in a fierce gun battle on Friday.
A statement by the Director, Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, said four bandits were killed in the gun duel.
The statement read, “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 troops led by the commanding officer of the battalion stalked and swooped on the bandits, annihilating four of them in a ferocious firefight that ensued.
“The victims, including a minor, nine females and 14 males, have been extricated and evacuated from the kidnappers’ hideout by the troops.”
