Nigerian Army says its troops deployed in 1 Division area of responsibility in Kaduna State have successfully averted a kidnap attempt by a violent extremist and insurgent group.
It said the troops rescued the abductees in Tantatu Community of Kajuru Local Government Area of the State.
The Army said responding to actionable intelligence, the troops on March 17, 2024, at about 10:30 pm swiftly tracked the insurgents who had earlier attacked the community in numbers and abducted some of the villagers as hostages.
This was made known on Tuesday by Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations.
Nwachukwu said the troops tenaciously pursued the insurgents, engaging them in a ferocious exchange of fire and consequently rescuing 16 kidnapped victims.
According to him, the troops are still exploiting the bushes in continuation of the search and rescue operations to extricate other victims and stop the nefarious activities of the insurgents.
He added that 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.