The Bauchi State Police Command has rescued 39 kidnap victims in the Yankari Forest in Alkaleri Local Government Area.
The police said the kidnappers demanded N50 million ransom from each of the victims abducted before the intervention of its team.
The Nation reports that Alkaleri, where the state governor, Bala Mohammed hails from has not been spared of the terror unleashed by bandits in parts of the state.
Mohammed had recently decried the spate of kidnappings in the State, identifying the flash point areas as Toro, Ningi, Alkaleri and Tafawa-Balewa LGAs.
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Irked by the development, the governor ordered the Joint Security Taskforce to engage the bandits and secure the release of all kidnapped victims who were abducted a few days ago.
The rescue operation was said to have taken place on September 15, 2023, by the Command “Operation Sharan Daji” team in collaboration with local hunters led by CSP Makama Magaji.
The operatives said they equally neutralised about 10 suspected bandits at the Red Mountain (Jan-Dutse).
Spokesman of the Command, SP Mohammed Wakil disclosed the news of the successful operation to journalists in a statement issued on Saturday.
According to the statement, the Police acted on credible intelligence before it invaded the kidnappers’ enclave while engaging them in a heavy gun battle.
“The operatives successfully defaced the suspected kidnappers to whisk them away in disarray with serious bullet wounds into the nearest bushes and successfully rescued kidnapped victims therein.”
The police rescued 39 kidnapped victims, 28 of which were male, while 8 were female, alongside 3 infants, who were reunited with their families unhurt after a medical check-up at the General Hospital Alkaleri.
Wakil further disclosed that preliminary investigation revealed that the kidnappers target traders coming back from the Mararrabar Liman Katagum market.
The gunmen numbering about 24 with AK-47 rifles were said to have intercepted their victims and whisked them to the Red Mountain (Jan-Dutse) on the said day.
In another development, suspected gunmen reportedly kidnapped an Assistant Superintendent of Police in Toro town, Toro Local Government Area of the state.
The gunmen were said to have stormed the town on Friday night, shooting sporadically, and throwing the whole town into disarray.