Nigerian troops have rescued 33 people who were abducted while travelling through Zamfara State in northwestern Nigeria, the army said in a statement Sunday.
Unidentified gunmen kidnapped the group as they travelled through the Tsafe area of Zamfara on Saturday, prompting a military operation, army spokesman Aliyu Danja said. He did not identify which group carried out the attack.
How the rescue unfolded
“The troops engaged the terrorists with effective fire, forcing them to abandon the victims and flee into adjoining bushes,” Danja said. “The troops then secured and rescued all 33 abducted persons.”
The army said it is now working to track down the fleeing attackers.
Part of a worsening security crisis
Zamfara has seen a sharp rise in killings and kidnappings in recent months, with at least 32 people killed in separate attacks across the state in June alone.
Beyond the ongoing conflict in Nigeria’s northwest and north-central regions, a separate insurgency in the northeast has killed thousands and displaced millions, according to the United Nations.
Despite repeated promises from President Bola Tinubu to address the crisis, security conditions across Africa’s most populous country have continued to deteriorate.