By Ayodele Oni
Collaboration among security operatives in Kaduna state has paid off with the rescue of some kidnapped victims.
A team of security operatives comprising Nigeria Police Force and Nigerian Army, dislodged barricade mounted by suspected bandits and rescued 76 passengers already taken captive.
Police statement explained that the incident happened along Funtua-Zaria Road at Gulbala area in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna state.
Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, in Kaduna State Police Command, DSP Mohammed Jalige who revealed in a statement, said the victims were rescued last weekend.
He explained that the Police Divisional Headquarters, Giwa, received a report that a large number of bandits wielding sophisticated weapons blocked the section of Funtua-Zaria road to abduct innocent commuters.
According to him, the police and military were immediately mobilized to the location to dismantle the road blockade, root out the armed miscreants and rescue any victim they might have abducted.
He said on reaching the location, a Ford open truck with Registration number APP 667 XG was found without passengers and information garnered had it that a large number of passengers on the truck had been moved off the road by the bandits.
DSP Jalige said an immediate rescue operation by the operatives was done into the forest where the bandits were encountered and due to pressure mounted on them by the security operatives, they abandoned their nefarious mission and ran into forest.
“Thorough combing of the forest over several hours by the crack operatives succeeded in the rescue of a large number of victims totalling Seventy Six (76) comprising male and females of different ages.
“Preliminary investigation revealed that the victims, who were passengers on the truck were traveling from Sabon Birni LGA of Sokoto State en-route to different destinations when they were intercepted by the marauders.”
Jalige also disclosed that security operatives were still on operation within the general area in search of the main truck driver and two other passengers, who are yet to be accounted for.
He said the Commissioner of Police, Yekini Ayoku noted that the important breakthrough was actualized through a strong inter-service coordination and collaboration emplaced in the State.
He assured that this will continue to be strengthened between and among all the agencies to extricate the public space from the enemies.
