The Nigerian Army, following a successful operation in Gundumi forest in Sokoto, on Sunday, handed over 66 persons rescued from bandits and kidnappers to the Sokoto State Government.
The Garrison Commander 8 Division, Brig. Gen. Amos Tawasimi, while handing over the victims to the state government, said 51 of them were rescued on Friday while 14 others were rescued on Saturday.
“As part of our activities to ensure that the state is safe for people to go about their activities, three days ago, we stormed the Gundumi forest to rescue these people, some of whom have been abducted for months by these kidnappers,” he said.
The Garrison Commander commended Governor Ahmed Sokoto for his support to the security agents, assuring that troops would continue to live up to expectations.
The governor, in his response, described the rescue of the abductees as “another significant milestone in our fight against armed banditry, kidnapping and rustling in the state as our security operatives have succeeded in rescuing 66 victims who were kidnapped from various villages and communities in Sokoto and other neighbouring states.”
“It would be recalled that a few weeks ago 51 victims were rescued after our gallant soldiers dislodged these criminals from their hideouts around Tangaza forest in the Tangaza Local Government Area of the state.
“This is indeed a commendable effort by our security operatives, especially members of Operation Hadarin Daji to rid our state of banditry, kidnapping, rustling and other forms of criminality in line with the commitment of this government to restore peace in our dear state and ensure that all our people, who are now living in various camps across the state, return to their respective communities and live a normal life devoid of any fear of attack or kidnapping.”
The governor said the achievement was a reward for his decision to prioritise the security of lives and property.
“As you may recall, our government has made security of lives and properties its priority. This is why we convey regular security meetings with heads of security agencies since coming on board, apart from other necessary support and logistics we have been giving to our security operatives in order to ensure they discharge their constitutional responsibilities in the state with ease.
“Just three days ago, our government handed over 80 brand new patrol vehicles to our security agencies and Alhamdulillah, the state House of Assembly has passed into law the bill which we had earlier sent to them on the establishment of community guards who will assist conventional security operatives in securing their respective communities.
“These and other measures are taken by this administration, which we don’t want to disclose to the public, are all parts of our efforts to end the menace of banditry, kidnapping and cattle rustling in our state,” he said.
By Animashaun Salman
