No fewer than 70 kidnap victims have regained their freedom in Zamfara State following sustained air and ground operations carried out by troops under Operation Fansan Yanma.
The development was disclosed on Saturday in a post on X (formerly Twitter) by security analyst, Zagazola Makama.
According to Makama, on Thursday, more than 150 armed bandits launched coordinated attacks on several villages in Bukuyum Local Government Area, including Ruwan Jema, Yashi, Gasa Hula, Kurfan Danya, Rafin Maiki, Ruwa Rana, and Barikin Daji, during which they abducted a large number of residents.
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He noted that the bandits initially attempted to flee with the abducted persons after making huge ransom demands.
However, Nigerian troops were swiftly deployed to the affected areas, engaging both ground and air assets in the counter-operation.
“On sighting NAF aircraft, the bandits became disoriented. They released the victims into the surrounding bushes and attempted to escape on motorcycles. Six women managed to escape that same day,” Makama wrote.
He added that the sustained bombardment eventually forced the criminals to release all the remaining hostages unconditionally.
This development comes barely a week after the military carried out heavy airstrikes on bandit camps in Gyado Forest, resulting in the elimination of more than 100 fighters, including several top commanders.
