Troops from Operation MESA, part of the Nigerian Army’s 3 Brigade, have rescued seven people kidnapped during a bandit attack on Yankamaye Cikin Gari village in the Tsanyawa LGA of Kano State.
Capt. Babatunde Zubairu, Assistant Director of Army Public Relations, 3 Brigade, issued a statement on Sunday.
He stated that the incident occurred on November 29 at approximately 23:00 p.m.
Zubairu stated that the forces received a distress call indicating that a large number of bandits on foot had assaulted the village, abducted ten citizens, and killed a 60-year-old woman.
A team of soldiers and police responded quickly and pursued the bandits on their way to Rimaye.
They engaged the attackers with heavy fire and successfully rescued seven of the abducted victims.
“The bandits fled towards Kankia Local Government Area in Katsina State. Efforts are ongoing to track their location,” he said.
Zubairu mentioned the Commander of the 3rd Brigade, who praised the troops for their bravery, quick response, and professionalism during the mission.
He asked inhabitants of the state to assist ongoing operations by submitting credible and timely information to security officials.
Between Monday and Tuesday, bandits allegedly kidnapped ten people in the Biresawa and Tsundu settlements of the Tsanyawa Local Government Area.
Kabiru Usman, a relative of some of the victims, said the gunmen struck around 10 p.m., snatching five individuals from Biresawa village and another five from neighboring Tsundu village.
“They came on foot, armed with guns. They kidnapped my wife, Umma; my 17-year-old daughter, Fati; my brother’s wife; and two other women,” Usman said.
He also revealed that community members tried to repel the attack but were quickly overwhelmed.
“We tried to stop them, but our weapons were no match for them, as they were carrying guns,” he said.
He further added that residents had alerted the police and military after receiving prior warnings that the bandits were heading toward the villages.
“Before the attack occurred, we got a report that they were heading towards us, and we notified the security agencies, including the police and military, ahead of time because they gave us their numbers and asked us to call if we got any information,” he added.
