The Sokoto State Police Command has rescued 32 kidnapped victims and foiled a major bandit operation in Rabah Local Government Area following a coordinated security operation involving police tactical units and the Nigerian Army.
In a statement, the command said the operation was launched after the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) in Rabah received a distress call at about 8:30 a.m. reporting the presence of a large group of armed bandits in Maikujera Village, a remote community bordering Zamfara State.
According to the police, the attackers were moving with rustled livestock and dozens of kidnapped victims while firing sporadically at residents.
Acting on the intelligence, the DPO deployed the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the Violent Crime Reaction Unit (VCRU), while coordinating with the nearby Nigerian Army Forward Operating Base (FOB). Security personnel also established blocking positions along suspected escape routes.
The combined security teams engaged the bandits in a prolonged gun battle.
Overwhelmed by the superior firepower and tactical manoeuvres of the security forces, the attackers abandoned their captives and rustled livestock before fleeing into the surrounding forest.
A subsequent search-and-rescue operation led to the safe recovery of all 32 victims, comprising six adult males and 26 females, most of them children.
The victims have been evacuated to a secure location where they are receiving medical attention and psychological support ahead of being reunited with their families.
Despite the successful rescue, the police said four people were killed by the bandits during the initial attack before security operatives arrived at the scene.
The Commissioner of Police in Sokoto State, Hayatu Hassan Shaffa, expressed condolences to the families of the victims and assured residents that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fleeing suspects.
He reaffirmed the command’s commitment to combating banditry and kidnapping across the state and urged members of the public to remain vigilant by reporting suspicious persons and activities to security agencies.
