Eleven hostages have escaped from armed bandits as the Nigerian military rescued two other victims in Kaduna State.
Kaduna State Commissioner of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan made the disclosure in a statement.
Aruwan said that the troops rescued the two kidnapped citizens in Jema’a and Lere Local Government Areas, as “reports from security agencies have informed to the Kaduna State Government that 11 hostages escaped from bandits’ camps at the outskirts of Sabon Birni town, Igabi Local Government Area.”
He stated that “ongoing security operations dislodged many of the bandits’ camps, leaving them in disarray and enabling the escape of the hostages being held there”.
“Careful checks revealed that the 11 hostages are a mix of those kidnapped from Dumbin Rauga, Zaria LGA and also along the Kaduna-Zaria highway,” Aruwan said.
The escaped hostages were identified as children and between the ages of 7 and 10.
“It was reported that the families of those kidnapped at Dumbin Rauga had collectively paid a ransom of Three Million Naira, but the bandits reneged on the agreement to release the captives, insisting that two motorcycles must be included in the ransom deal,” Aruwan said.
“The escapees were recovered by the troops and have since been reunited with their families.”
He said troops of Operation Safe Haven have reunited the two victims they rescued – Barira Sulaiman Inusa and Isah Musa, around Kirti village of Jema’a LGA – with their families.”
“Furthermore, the troops rescued one Mrs Chioma Amanda Silver, in Ungwan Sarki Goza village, Mariri, Lere LGA. She had been abducted by bandits who abandoned her on sighting the troops”.
Aruwan said Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai expressed his satisfaction with the developments and praised the military’s efforts to degrade the onslaught on bandit hideouts across the state.
He also commended the swift response of the troops to rescue the kidnapped citizens in Jema’a and Lere LGAs.
