Another try by terrorists in Kaduna State to take some residents in the Kajuru Local Government Area of the state was stopped by personnel of the Nigerian Army deployed to the area.
Recently, the state has become a hotspot for terrorists who have taken more than 300 people as hostages.
In the same Kajuru LG on March 12, 2024, at least 61 people were reportedly abducted by suspected terrorists
As per a statement on Monday night by the Director, Army Public Relations, Maj-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, the troops pursued the terrorists who had attacked the Tantatu community and kidnapped residents.
He mentioned that the troops fought the terrorists in a gun battle which led to the rescue of the 16 kidnapped residents.
The statement said, “Nigerian Army troops deployed in 1 Division area of responsibility in Kaduna State have successfully stopped a kidnap attempt by a violent extremist and insurgent group and rescued the abductees in Tantatu Community of Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
“Responding to actionable intelligence, the troops on 17 March 2024 at about 10:30 p.m. rapidly tracked the insurgents who had earlier attacked the community in numbers and abducted some of the villagers as hostages.
“On arriving at the scene of the incident, the troops persistently pursued the insurgents, fighting them in a fierce exchange of fire and thus rescuing 16 kidnapped victims.”
Onyema noted the troops were still on the trail of the terrorists.
“The troops are still exploring the bushes in continuation of the search and rescue operations to free other victims and stop the wicked activities of the insurgents.
“The Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Taoreed Abiodun Lagbaja commended the troops for the successful rescue of the kidnap victims and charged them to remain vigilant as they conduct ongoing counter-insurgency operations to liberate all troubled areas in the country,” he said.
