Soldiers foil mass abduction, rescue 9 in Zamfara

On Sunday, August 16, a joint military operation in Zamfara State thwarted a terrorist plot to abduct civilians in the village of Unguwar Rogo, Kaura Namoda Local Government Area. The Joint Task Force North West, involved in Operation FANSAN YAMMA, swiftly responded to a distress call regarding the attack. According to Lt-Col Aliyu Danja, the troops were alerted to a group of terrorists, believed to be led by a man known as Mallam Shuaibu, infiltrating the community and targeting civilians on a local road.

Intelligence suggested the assault could have been an act of retaliation for recent arrests of suspected collaborators with the terrorist network.

The terrorists reportedly hid in a millet farm along the route and opened fire at passing vehicles, causing some motorists to lose control and veer off the road. Quickly reacting to the distress call, Sector 2 troops engaged the terrorists, preventing the abduction from taking place. In the ensuing confrontation, the terrorists abandoned their mission and fled into the surrounding forest.

The operation resulted in the rescue of nine civilians, including an infant, from the threat of abduction. Additionally, two women were wounded by gunfire and were transported for medical attention.