Troops free 14 abductees, arrest ransom couriers in Katsina

KATSINA — Troops of the Joint Task Force North West under Operation FANSAN YAMMA have rescued 14 kidnapped victims and arrested three suspected terrorist logistics couriers in separate operations in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.

The breakthroughs, recorded between September 24 and 25, also yielded ₦2.7 million suspected to be ransom money, an AK-47 rifle, ammunition, a motorcycle and three mobile phones, according to a statement by the Media Information Officer of the Joint Task Force, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja.

On September 24, Sector 2 troops intercepted the three suspects while they were travelling on a motorcycle in Faskari. Preliminary interrogation indicated that the men were allegedly conveying the cash and phones for onward transfer to a suspected terrorist kingpin through intermediaries operating in the area.

The suspects and the recovered items remain in military custody pending further investigation.

The following day, troops acting on credible intelligence about the movement of terrorists in the same local government area set up an ambush. When the militants appeared, security forces engaged them, forcing the group to flee in disarray. A subsequent search of the scene produced one AK-47 rifle, 30 rounds of ammunition and a motorcycle.

In a related development on September 25, troops conducting a routine patrol in Faskari intercepted and freed 14 kidnapped persons — 12 males and two females. Military sources said the victims had been abducted from Anguwan Miko and Tafoki villages in the local government area. Their captors abandoned them after sighting the advancing troops. The rescued persons were handed over to Faskari Local Government authorities for further care and necessary action.

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The operations form part of ongoing efforts by Operation FANSAN YAMMA to disrupt terrorist logistics networks, recover weapons and free civilians held in the North-West. Security agencies continue to urge residents to provide timely and credible information to support the fight against banditry and kidnapping in the region.