Troops of the Joint Task Force North-West, Operation Fansan Yamma, have rescued 23 kidnapped victims and arrested four suspected members of the Lakurawa terrorist group during separate operations across Sokoto State.
The operations, conducted on Sunday, also saw the troops foil attempted terrorist attacks in Wurno, Sabon Birni and Isa Local Government Areas of the state, according to the military.
The Media Information Officer of JTF North-West, Operation Fansan Yamma, Lt-Col. Aliyu Danja, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday.
Danja said troops of Sector 2 responded to a terrorist attack on Sabon Gari in Wurno Local Government Area after terrorists invaded the community and opened sporadic fire, forcing residents to flee.
He said the troops engaged the attackers and forced them to withdraw, while six kidnapped victims were rescued during the operation.
“During the operation, troops rescued six kidnapped victims. One civilian who sustained a gunshot wound during the attack was evacuated to a medical facility for treatment,” Danja said.
According to him, troops also acted on intelligence concerning the attempted movement of terrorists along the Sabon Birni-Takatsaba Road around Chabe Biyu in Sabon Birni Local Government Area.
Danja said the troops established an ambush along the suspected axis of advance and engaged the terrorists when they were sighted.
“Troops engaged the terrorists with firepower on sighting, forcing them to flee in disarray. Troops dominate the general area in order to deny the terrorists freedom of action,” he stated.
The military spokesman said another operation was conducted in Isa Local Government Area after troops received a distress call concerning terrorist activities along the Isa-Kwanar Isa-Shinkafi Road.
He said the troops made contact with the terrorists and engaged them, forcing the attackers to withdraw from the area.
“Exploitation of the area led to the rescue of 17 kidnapped civilians. One of the rescued victims, who sustained a fracture, was immediately evacuated to the General Hospital, Isa, for medical attention,” Danja said.
The 17 victims rescued in Isa, combined with the six rescued in Wurno, brought the total number of kidnapped civilians rescued during the operations to 23.
Danja also disclosed that troops arrested four suspected members of the Lakurawa terrorist group in Illela Local Government Area.
He said the arrests followed intelligence concerning the movement of suspected terrorists who were allegedly driving a herd of rustled cattle from Sarma Village towards Illela.
According to him, troops established a snap checkpoint along the suspected route, resulting in the arrest of the four suspects and the recovery of six cows.
“The suspects and recovered livestock are currently in military custody for further investigation and necessary action, while efforts are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the group,” Danja said.
The operations covered several areas identified by the military as routes or locations where terrorist elements had attempted to operate, with troops responding to attacks, distress calls and intelligence reports.
In Wurno, the intervention followed an attack on Sabon Gari that forced residents to flee, while in Sabon Birni, troops mounted an ambush after receiving information about the attempted movement of terrorists.
In Isa, the troops responded to reported terrorist activity along a major road linking Isa with Kwanar Isa and Shinkafi, leading to the rescue of the 17 kidnapped civilians.
The military spokesman said the operations demonstrated the importance of intelligence-led and proactive military action in disrupting terrorist activities and rescuing civilians held by criminal or terrorist elements.
Danja said the troops would continue to sustain pressure on terrorist groups and other criminal elements operating within the Joint Task Force’s area of responsibility.
He also reaffirmed the commitment of the force to protecting communities and responding to threats against civilians.
West Trybe reports that the latest operations come amid continuing security challenges in parts of Sokoto and other states in North-West Nigeria, where military and other security agencies have continued to conduct operations against terrorist groups, armed criminal elements and kidnapping networks.
