Troops of Operation Peace Shield have rescued 10 kidnapped women during a special operation conducted in the early hours of Friday in the Sanga Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
A credible source at the Army Headquarters confirmed the development to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, revealing that the victims were abducted from their farms at Unguwan Nungu on Nov. 29. Their abduction prompted Sector 5 troops to launch a sustained search-and-rescue mission.
According to the source, the troops intercepted the kidnappers around 6:40 a.m. on Friday while the criminals attempted to collect ransom money from the victims’ relatives. The soldiers reportedly engaged the kidnappers with superior firepower, forcing them to abandon the captives and flee.
Items recovered during the operation included a fabricated AK-47 rifle, one round of 9mm ammunition, and ₦1.6 million, believed to be part of the ransom payment.
The rescued women have since been debriefed and reunited with their families. Meanwhile, the military says efforts are ongoing to track down the fleeing kidnappers.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt.-Gen. Waidi Shaibu has commended the troops for their swift action and urged them to sustain the pressure on terrorists, bandits, and other criminal elements threatening national security.
