Troops of 1 division of the Nigerian Army have rescued 30 persons following an attack that occurred along the Birnin Gwari-Kaduna highway.
Musa Yahaya, acting deputy director of army public relations, announced this in a statement on Thursday.
Yahaya said the abductees were rescued on Thursday in Manini village, adding that the troops encountered the gunmen while escorting S.E. Udonwa, chief of defence training operations, to the headquarters of operation Whirl Punch in Birnin Gwari.
“A fighting patrol from 1 Division today Thursday 2nd of February 2023 had a meeting engagement with armed bandits kidnapping commuters at Manini village along Kaduna-Birnin Gwari road,” the statement reads.
“The troops who were escorting the chief of defence training and operations, Maj Gen SE Udonwa, who was on operational visits to Operation Whirl Punch Headquarters in Birnin Gwari, engaged the bandits and overpowered them, forcing the criminal element to withdraw in disarray.
“The gallant troops rescued 30 kidnapped victims, recovered 2 motorcycles, and immediately cleared the highway for free flow of vehicular traffic.
“The rescued victims were escorted to Udawa and Birnin Gwari to continue their journey.”
