Troops of Sector 2, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have rescued kidnapped traders, recovered a stolen vehicle and arrested two suspects in separate operations across Katsina State.
According to Zagazola Makama, the troops responded to a distress call over terrorist activities along the Funtua–Faskari axis, where a commercial vehicle conveying traders was intercepted and its occupants forced into the surrounding bush.
Troops immediately mobilised and pursued the attackers, eventually making contact with the terrorists. A firefight ensued, but the assailants were forced to retreat into the forest by the troops’ superior firepower.
The kidnapped traders were subsequently rescued unharmed and escorted to Sheme Market, where they were reunited with their communities.
In a separate operation, troops deployed in Dutsin-Ma Local Government Area acted on credible intelligence concerning the movement of a stolen vehicle along the Katsina–Dutsin-Ma highway.
The troops, working in conjunction with the Nigeria Police Force, mounted a coordinated interdiction along the route and intercepted the vehicle, a gold-coloured Toyota Corolla.
Two male suspects, identified as 28-year-old Abdulmalik Haruna and 44-year-old Mohammed Kabir, were arrested in connection with the recovered vehicle.
The suspects and the vehicle have been handed over to the Nigeria Police Force, Dutsin-Ma Division, for further investigation and appropriate legal action.
The latest operations underscore the continued efforts by security forces to disrupt criminal activities, rescue victims and deny terrorists and other criminal elements freedom of action across Katsina State.