ABUJA, Nov. 15 — Eleven kidnapped persons have been rescued by police operatives from a hideout of gunmen following an anti-kidnapping operation in the northern state of Katsina, the police said on Monday.
In a statement sent to Xinhua, Gambo Isa, a spokesman for the police in Katsina, said the victims were rescued on Sunday, two days after they were reportedly kidnapped by gunmen who attacked the Sabon Garin Safana village in the Safana local government area of Katsina.
The kidnap was carried out by bandits, as gunmen are commonly called in the northern part of Nigeria, Isa said.
He said the team also recovered an operational motorcycle belonging to the bandits.
Police operatives further thwarted an attack by bandits in the Gidan Duka village of the Kankara local government area of the state on Sunday, he said, adding the gunmen engaged the police in a gunfight before escaping into a nearby forest.
“Efforts are in top gear with a view to arresting the perpetrators of the crime, while an investigation is ongoing,” the police spokesman added.
Armed banditry has been a primary security threat in Nigeria’s northern and central regions, leading to deaths and kidnappings in recent months. – XINHUA
