Zamfara Police rescue five kidnap victims

By : Ifeanyichukwu Nwannah

Date: 2 January 2026 9:15am WAT

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The Nigeria Police Force (NPF)

The Nigeria Police Force (NPF)

The Zamfara State Police Command has claimed that its operatives of the Anti-Kidnapping Unit have repelled a planned attack by armed bandits, saying that they rescued five abducted women and children along the Dansadau–Gusau highway.

According to a statement issued by the State Police Spokesman, DSP Yazid Abubakar, the operatives were said to be on a confidence-building patrol along the Gusau–Dansadau Road when they encountered distressed motorists and commuters who had been blocked by armed bandits. The statement added that upon sighting the bandits, the police operatives swiftly engaged them in a gun duel, forcing the criminals to retreat into the bush with possible gunshot injuries, abandoning their victims in the process. According to him, it was discovered at the scene that the bandits had earlier abducted women and children travelling from Wanke District to Gusau and were in the process of taking them into the bush before they were forced to flee due to the superior firepower of the police.

The statement further stated that the operatives successfully rescued the victims and conveyed them in a police vehicle to Gusau, where they were promptly given medical attention before being reunited with their families. The statement noted that the State Commissioner of Police, Mr Ibrahim Balarabe Maikaba, reassured members of the public of the command’s continued commitment to safeguarding lives and property. The Commissioner also urged citizens to continue supporting the police with timely and credible information.

Recall that last week, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) carried out two precision air strikes on bandit hideouts in the Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State, destroying camps and an improvised explosive device (IED) production site linked to a notorious bandit leader. The operations were conducted under the Air Component of Operation Fansan Yamma, Sector 2, and targeted Turba Hill as well as a camp associated with a bandit kingpin identified as Kachalla Dogo Sule. In a statement issued on Monday, the Director of Public Relations and Information of the NAF, Air Commodore Ehimen Ejodame, said the strikes followed credible, multi-source intelligence on the activities of bandits operating in the area.

He explained that the first strike was carried out at Turba Hill, which had been confirmed as a major bandit hideout. “Acting on credible, multi-source intelligence, NAF air assets were deployed against bandit enclaves at the identified locations. The first strike targeted Turba Hill, a confirmed bandit hideout,” Ejodame said. He added that persistent intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions had revealed significant human activity at the location, including an operational zinc-roofed structure believed to be central to the group’s activities.

“Following positive identification, the target was engaged with precision, resulting in a direct hit. Post-strike battle damage assessment confirmed the complete destruction of the structure and the neutralisation of several bandits,” he said. According to the NAF spokesman, a second air strike was conducted on a camp linked to Kachalla Dogo Sule, described as a notorious bandit leader whose enclave served as a key hub for the manufacture of improvised explosive devices and the coordination of attacks. He said intelligence reports had connected the camp to the planning and execution of recent IED attacks along the Dan Sadau–Magami axis.

“The second air interdiction mission was conducted at Kachalla Dogo Sule’s camp, a notorious bandit stronghold identified as a key IED manufacturing and operational hub. Intelligence had linked the camp to the planning and execution of recent IED attacks along the Dan Sadau–Magami axis,” Ejodame stated. He said the precision strike hit multiple active structures within the camp, triggering fires that destroyed the facilities. “The precision strike successfully engaged multiple active structures within the enclave, triggering intense fires that destroyed the facilities and neutralised several bandits, effectively crippling the group’s IED production and deployment capability,” he added.

Ejodame noted that several bandits were killed during the two operations, although no specific casualty figures were released. “These decisive air strikes represent a significant degradation of bandit networks operating in Zamfara State, particularly their capacity to manufacture and deploy improvised explosive devices,” he said. He added that the operations underscored the Nigerian Air Force’s commitment, in close coordination with other components of Operation Fansan Yamma, to deny criminal groups safe havens and degrade their operational capabilities across the North-West.

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