Police rescue 12 kidnap victims in Zamfara

The Zamfara police command says it has rescued a total of 12 kidnap victims in the state.

In a statement on Wednesday, Mohammed Shehu, spokesperson of the Zamfara police command, said the abducted chief security officer of the College of Health Technology, Tsafe in Zamfara, was among those rescued.

The security officer, whose name was not given, was said to have been abducted from his house in the early hours of Wednesday.

According to Shehu, during a search-and-rescue operation by the police across the state, officers found 11 other victims, who were reportedly abducted on August 12.

“The effort that led to the unconditional rescue was sequel to the report of abduction of 11 persons by some group of hoodlums suspected to be bandits at Yarkofoji village in Bakura LGA on 12th August, 2021,” Shehu said.

“In a related development, the Command has succeeded in the unconditional rescue of the chief security officer of the College of Health Technology, Tsafe.

“The report of his abduction was reported to the Police in the early hours of 18th August, 2021, when a group of hoodlums went to his house at around 0040hrs and abducted him.

“Police search-and-rescue team swung into action by combing the surrounding forest. Luckily enough, the victim was rescued safely.

“The search-and-rescue strategies employed by the Commissioner of Police, Zamfara State Command, CP Ayuba N. Elkana, psc, led to the successful rescue of the abducted victims without any ransom paid by the relations of the victims.

“The Commissioner of Police congratulated the victims for regaining their freedom and urged them to always be conscious of their security and report any suspicious person to the Police or any nearest security outfit for prompt response.”

The police spokesman added that the victims were taken to the hospital for medical checks, debriefed by the police and reunited with their families.

Shehu also stated that the commissioner of police has assured residents of the state that ongoing efforts by the command will ensure the rescue of other victims in captivity.

The development comes days after gunmen abducted some students and teachers from the College of Agriculture and Animal Health in Bakura, Zamfara.