The Kaduna State Police Command has rescued 75 kidnapped victims after armed men abducted passengers travelling in commercial buses near Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of the state.
The victims, comprising men, women and children and reportedly members of the Fulani community, were abducted at about 5:30 p.m. on August 19 at Folwaya village, near Birnin Gwari.
The incident was reported to the police by the Birnin Gwari branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, prompting the immediate mobilisation of a police crack team from the Birnin Gwari Area Command.
The kidnappers, who were reportedly armed with AK-47 rifles and other weapons, had intercepted the commercial buses and forced the passengers into a nearby forest before taking them to a mountainous area where they were concealed in a cave.
Security sources said the police team advanced into the area and engaged the kidnappers, who fled into the surrounding forest upon sighting the approaching operatives.
The 75 victims were subsequently rescued unharmed and taken to safety.
The Commissioner of Police in Kaduna State, CP Rabiu Muhammad, commended the NURTW Birnin Gwari branch for providing timely intelligence that enabled the police to respond swiftly.
He also praised the Birnin Gwari Area Commander and his personnel for their prompt and professional response, which resulted in the successful rescue operation.
“I urge members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements and activities to the police and other security agencies,” the commissioner said.
Muhammad also cautioned residents against taking the law into their own hands, warning that such actions could lead to the loss of innocent lives.
The rescue comes amid sustained security operations in the Birnin Gwari axis, which has continued to face kidnapping and other criminal activities.
Security agencies have increasingly relied on community-based intelligence and rapid-response operations to disrupt kidnapping networks and rescue victims held in remote forest and mountainous locations.
