Twenty abducted persons have been rescued by troops of Operation Hadarin Daji deployed to Shinkafi Local Government Area of Zamfara State, North-West Nigeria while conducting routine patrol in the general area.
The hostages include three children, two women and 15 males, who were kidnapped from different parts of Zamfara and Sokoto States. One of the female victims was said to be a housewife who was abducted one week after her wedding. The newly wedded 29-year-old Rabi Kabiru narrated her experience while in the hands of the abductors.
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In her words, “the incident occurred a certain night at my husband’s residence after one week of our marriage, where I was abducted for one month”. She said, they were lying down in their living room and suspected that terrorists were lurking around, therefore her husband hid behind the door and escaped through the perimetre fence, though the abductors sighted him but he had escaped to the bush already.
Sources said, a preliminary investigation revealed that the freed victims have spent between 21 to 53 days in captivity where there were over 20 terrorists’ enclaves in the forest where they were kept by their abductors. They said, other victims disclosed that they were freed from the enclave of a terrorist’s kingpin, Bello Turji as a result of pressure from the air bombardment and land offensive launched by troops.
The victims said no ransom was paid before they were freed even though some were asked to pay N2 million but later told to pay N100, 000 and when their families called back the phone lines of the abductors were not connecting for about a month.
The victims revealed that the reason their abductors willingly freed them was due to reconciliation between Bello Turji and some high profile persons suspected to be government officials from Abuja. The hostages were said to have been debriefed and since handed over to the authorities which will reunite them with their families.
In another development, troops of Operation Hadarin Daji have killed a terrorist leader popularly known as Dogo Gudali and some members of his group.
The success was recorded when the troops were conducting a clearance operation on Wednesday at the fringes of Gando Forest under the Gwashi district of Bukkuyum Local Government Area of Zamfara State, in Northwest, Nigeria.
According to sources, the terrorist leader was killed along with his group of fighters through an explosion, from an Improvised Explosive Device, IED.
The IED was said to have been planted for the troops but unfortunately detonated prematurely, killing the terrorist leader, Dogo Gudali, and his fighters.
The terrorist leader, Dogo Gudali, and his gang who met their Waterloo had been operating in Anka and Bukkuyum Local Government Areas of Zamfara, Sokoto, and Kebbi States, all in Northwest, Nigeria.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
