Kaduna state government has disclosed that troops carrying out internal security operations rescued nine persons kidnapped along the Kaduna-Abuja road on Sunday afternoon.
In a statement by the Commissioner, Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, the Kaduna state government explained that, it received operational feedback from the defence headquarters’s ‘operation thunder strike’ (OPTS), following the Sunday’s incident, as well as inquiries from the public on the development.
According to the statement, the feedback revealed that, the
troops on a routine patrol along Akilubu-Gidan Busa axis on the Kaduna-Abuja road, received a distress call around 4pm, that bandits had blocked the highway.
“The armed bandits opened fire on a bus, forcing the driver to stop,” the statement explains.
The troops’ account showed that, on getting to the location, they found that the armed bandits had already kidnapped nine persons from an 18-seater bus with registration No. Kaduna: MKA-151.
The security operatives therefore mobilized and engaged the bandits in a firefight, and in the process rescued the nine kidnapped persons who later rejoined their colleagues after a head count.
However, the driver and a passenger seated close to him have lost their lives.
The Kaduna state government condoles families of the two deceased, praying to God to repose their souls, and grant those left behind enduring fortitude to bear the irreparable losses.
Meanwhile the military defence headquarters, has again assured Kaduna state government, and members of the public plying the Kaduna-Abuja highway, of its commitment to protecting and rescueing lives and properties from the nefarious activities of bandits.
The headquarters also undertakes to keep the public posted on the security situation along the route.
The Kaduna state government also assures that, it will continue to work hard, in collaboration with the federal government to beef up security across its road network.
It also reveals that, it is working closely with its Zamfara, Katsina, Niger, Nasarawa, Plateau, Sokoto and Kano counterparts, as well as all security agencies, to enhance the security situation in the region
