The Nigerian Army has said its troops deployed for Operation Hadarin Daji have rescued 24 kidnap victims and killed four bandits in a shootout in Zamfara State on Friday.
The director, Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, in a statement said troops of 223 Battalion, operating under Sector 1 of Joint Task Force, North-West Operations Hadarin Daji in the early hours of July 7, 2023 engaged in a shootout with notorious bandits at Kabugu Lamba, an abandoned village in Maru local government area of Zamfara State.
He said during the rescue operation and the shootout that ensued, four bandits were killed while 24 kidnap victims comprising nine females and 14 males including a child were rescued.
“The gallant troops led by the Commanding Officer of the Battalion, stalked and swooped on the bandits, annihilating four of them in a ferocious fire fight that ensued,” he said.
He added that the victims, including a minor, nine females and 14 males have been extricated and evacuated from the kidnappers’ hideout by the troops.
