Nigerian army says it safely rescued 33 people kidnapped by gunmen

The people were abducted while travelling through the country's north-western Zamfara state on Saturday.

Nigeria's army has successfully rescued 33 individuals who were abducted by gunmen in the north-western Zamfara state, according to a statement from the military. The rescue operation took place on Saturday afternoon in the Tsafe area, when the armed forces, collaborating with the police, received intelligence about the kidnapping.

The troops engaged the kidnappers and compelled them to relinquish the hostages, who were then taken to a secure location. The military did not disclose the exact whereabouts of the abductors at the time of the operation. Nigeria's security forces have been making notable progress in rescuing kidnapped victims, with over 300 people freed in separate incidents across the country, including a recent rescue of 163 individuals abducted in February in Kwara state.

President Bola Tinubu has pledged an 80% pay hike for soldiers, aiming to combat the surge in banditry, kidnappings, and violence across Nigeria, especially ahead of the 2027 elections.

Written by urgent.news from BBC World's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.