Bandits came for ransom, soldiers came with bullets — kidnappers dumped woman and ran

• Troops foiled a planned ransom exchange in Danko-Wasagu, Kebbi State.

• Suspected terrorists fled, abandoning the kidnapped woman after troops engaged them.

• The victim was rescued unharmed and reunited with her family.

• The military urged residents to keep providing credible intelligence to help tackle banditry and kidnapping.

Troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA have rescued a kidnapped woman after disrupting a planned ransom collection by suspected terrorists in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

The rescue happened after soldiers received credible intelligence that the kidnappers were preparing to collect ransom for the woman, who had been abducted while working on her farm last month.

Acting spokesperson for the troops, Lt. Col. Olaniyi Osoba, said the military quickly moved in to stop the exchange before the money could change hands.

According to him, the terrorists noticed the approaching troops and attempted to fight back, but they were no match for the soldiers.

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"The engagement forced the criminals to retreat in disarray, abandoning the hostage, who was subsequently secured by our troops," Osoba said.

The woman was rescued without injuries and was later reunited with her family in Danko-Wasagu.

Osoba said the troops did not stop after the rescue. They also combed through the route used by the fleeing terrorists to ensure the area was safe before returning to base.

"Following the rescue, troops conducted a thorough exploitation of the terrorists’ withdrawal route to ensure that the area was fully secured before returning safely to base," he added.

In another operation, troops carried out routine clearance and dominance patrols across parts of Ngaski Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

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According to the military, the patrols ended peacefully and formed part of ongoing operations aimed at denying terrorists and bandits freedom to operate across the state.

Operation FANSAN YAMMA is one of the military's ongoing counter-terrorism operations targeting bandits and other armed criminal groups in northwestern Nigeria, where kidnapping for ransom has remained a major security challenge.

Osoba assured residents that the military would continue to intensify operations against criminal groups in Kebbi and neighbouring states.

"We will keep the fire on everywhere the terrorists are. We will dismantle them to secure Kebbi State and Nigeria," Osoba said.

He also appealed to members of the public to continue supporting security agencies with useful information that could help prevent attacks and rescue victims faster.

"We urge members of the public to continue sharing credible information with security agencies. Such intelligence is critical to thwarting the activities of criminal elements and securing our communities," he said.