• Hands over 128 rescued Zamfara victims
From Molly Kilete, Abuja
National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, has reiterated the resolve of the Federal Government to intensify its offensive against terrorists, bandits, kidnappers and other criminal groups terrorising the country.
Ribadu said there would no longer be safe haven for criminal groups holding Nigerians hostage.
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The NSA, who made the declaration while presenting 128 persons rescued from bandits’ captivity in Kaura Namoda, Zamfara State, said the victims, comprising men, women and children, were freed in two waves of military and intelligence operations earlier this month.
“Let me be unequivocally clear: this work will continue. There will be no respite in our operations. There will be no safe haven for those who terrorise our citizens.
“We will hunt them, we will find them, and we will bring them to justice – or they will meet the same fate as the many kingpins already neutralized by our forces,” Ribadu said.
The NSA showered encomium on the military police, and intelligence community for their roles in the rescue, describing their efforts as a “crushing blow to the networks of terror that seek to undermine our peace.”
Ribadu assured that the government of President Bola Tinubu would sustain both kinetic and non-kinetic measures in the fight against insecurity.
“This government has, in recent months, reunited mothers with their children, husbands with their wives, and communities with their loved ones. Each rescue is a victory for the Nigerian people,” Ribadu noted.
The NSA said that beyond the rescue, the victims would receive trauma care and psychosocial support before reuniting with their families, insisting that “healing is as important as the rescue itself.”
While urging citizens to remain vigilant and support security forces with timely information, he said their resilience and cooperation were key to defeating criminal networks.
The rescue, according to him, was not an isolated event but part of a broader security strategy designed to dismantle bandit groups and restore peace across Nigeria.
Earlier, the National coordinator, National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) , Maj. Gen. Adamu Laka explained that the victims were freed during coordinated security operations carried out in two phases earlier in August. The first group of victims, 42 individuals comprising 14 males, 27 females and a toddler, were rescued on August 14 while the second group, comprising 88 individuals made up of 34 males and 54 females, was freed on August 19.
“Unfortunately, among the second group, we lost one of the children due to illness, likely from the fatigue they suffered while in captivity. In addition, one of the women gave birth prematurely after the rescue, and the baby is currently receiving medical attention.”
Gen. Laka noted that since their rescue, the victims have been under the care of the ONSA where they received psychological support, medical treatment, and rehabilitation. “With their recovery process ongoing, we are now handing them over to the Zamfara State Government for reintegration with their families and communities.”
Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Tanko Sununu, commended the efforts of the government and security agencies and advised the victims to see their freedom as an opportunity to strive for their future and embrace education.
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