Operatives of the Kaduna State Police Command have rescued six kidnap victims in Barde/Keffi, Kafanchan in the Jema’a Local Government Area of the state.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Muhammed Jalige, who made this known in a statement on Thursday, identified the rescued victims as Bala Sharif, Kirman Joseph, Chai Markus, Sani Abubakar, Musa Daniel and ASC Alfred Dakon, an official of the Nigeria Correctional Services, Nasarawa State.
He said the victims were debriefed and reunited with their families, adding that efforts were being made to apprehend their abductors.
In a related development, the police spokesperson said operatives of the command, alongside men of the Operation Puff Adder, following credible intelligence, stormed Yadi Forest, Fatika district, in the Giwa LGA, where they engaged some bandits in a gun battle, killing one of them.
He said several of the bandits escaped into the forest with bullet wounds.
“The operatives recovered one AK-49 rifle loaded with 31 rounds of 7.62 X 39mm live ammunition, one locally-made rifle with one 12-gauge polymer cased shotgun shell.
“The precision and gallantry exhibited by the officers that left the bandits in disarray is exemplary, thus the command is calling on members of the public, especially medical practitioners, to report any person found with suspected bullet injuries in the said axis for prompt action,” Jalige added.
Also, the command said it arrested three suspected bandits — Hadi Ahmad, Yusuf Alhassan, and Yahaya Yusuf.
Jalige explained that during a search of their rooms, the police recovered one submachine gun, loaded with one round of 9mm live ammunition and a Department State Services identity card.
According to him, the suspects are currently undergoing investigation and will be charged to court on completion of same.