No fewer than 35 kidnapped victims, including women and children, have been rescued by security operatives in Niger State following intensified operations targeting criminal elements relocating from the Birnin-Gwari forest in Kaduna State.
The victims, who were abducted at different times from various communities in Niger State such as Pandogari, Madaka, Allawa, and Sarkin-Pawa, and even as far as Taraba State, had been held captive for over a year, according to the statement by the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) SP Wasiu Abiodun.
Acting on intelligence, police tactical teams intercepted a vehicle along the Madaka-Makujeri road between July 3 and 5, 2025.
The vehicle, driven by Yusuf Abdullahi from Birnin-Gwari, was found conveying some of the victims to Yauri in Kebbi State, where they were to be handed over to other members of the kidnapping syndicate.
Others had reportedly been dropped off in Tegina to board separate vehicles to the same destination.
The driver was arrested on the spot, while the victims were safely rescued and taken to a medical facility for treatment.
They have since been reunited with their families, according to the Niger State Police Command.
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In a similar operation on July 4, at about 4:30 pm, another group of victims, five women and six children, were intercepted in Agwara while attempting to cross a river en route to Yauri.
The Divisional Police Officer in Agwara took custody of the victims and recovered two magazines and 60 rounds of live ammunition.
The rescued individuals were subsequently transferred to the State Police Headquarters in Minna for further investigation and care.
The Commissioner of Police in Niger State, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, commended the joint efforts of the security teams in executing the successful rescue operations appealing to residents to support security agencies by providing credible and timely information to aid further rescue missions and arrest of suspects.
Wasiu said that investigations are ongoing to track down other fleeing kidnappers and ensure the safe recovery of additional victims still in captivity.