Police: Eight victims kidnapped on Kaduna-Abuja highway found in Niger forest

The Niger police command says eight victims kidnapped along the Kaduna-Abuja highway have been rescued from a forest in the state.

Wasiu Abiodun, Niger police spokesperson, disclosed this in a statement on Thursday.

Abiodun said the rescued victims were abducted on Sunday along the highway that connects the state to Kaduna through Munya LGA.

On Sunday, an attack by gunmen on the highway led to the death of Sagir Hamida, a former Zamfara governorship aspirant, while several travellers were abducted.

According to Abiodun, the police officers who were on patrol along Lukuma/Shafe road rescued the victims from a forest in Sarkin Pawa, headquarters of Munya LGA at about 5pm on Wednesday.

He said the victims were travelling from Katsina to Kaduna when they were abducted on the highway, adding that one of them is from Ikara LGA of Kaduna, while the remaining seven are from Kankia in Katsina.

He said the police are making efforts to ensure the arrest of the kidnappers.

“In the course of debriefing the victims, it was discovered that they were taken to Kofa forest in Chikun local government area of Kaduna state,” he said.

“We appeal to rural dwellers to assist in the ongoing fight against criminals with intelligence information that could aid the police in apprehending the miscreants.”