The Nigerian Army has confirmed that its forces have freed 16 of the 87 civilians kidnapped by bandits on Sunday night in Tantatu, Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State. The bandits, who were reported to be in significant numbers, attacked the village around 10 p.m. on Sunday. It was further claimed that they broke into shops and looted foodstuff.
Onyema Nwachukwu, the army spokesperson, said in a statement on Monday that forces engaged the bandits in gunfire after the raid on the village on Sunday night, resulting in the recovery of the abducted people.
“Responding to actionable intelligence, the troops on 17 March 2024 at about 10:30 pm swiftly tracked the insurgents who had earlier attacked the community in numbers and abducted some of the villagers as hostages.
“On arriving at the scene of the incident, the troops tenaciously pursued the insurgents, engaging them in a ferocious exchange of fire and consequently rescuing 16 kidnapped victims.
According to the statement, the troops are currently combing the bushes.
The attack came just 48 hours after 14 people were abducted in a similar attack on the Dogon Noma community in Kajuru LGA.
A few days before, 61 people were kidnapped in Kajuru LGA.
In the last three weeks, about 465 people have been abducted in Kajuru and Chikun Local Government Areas of Kaduna State.
