**Date**: September 3, 2023
*Bauchi, Nigeria*:
In a successful operation, operatives of the Nigeria Police in Bauchi have rescued 16 kidnapped victims from the clutches of kidnappers during a raid on their hideouts located in the Lame Burra Forest in Ningi Local Government Area of the state. The police operation also resulted in the neutralization of several kidnappers.
The rescue mission was conducted as part of Operation Restore Peace (ORP), a joint effort involving the police, military, and other quasi-security groups, including local hunters, who were on a routine patrol.
According to a statement by the command’s spokesman, SP Ahmed Wakil, the combined security units launched the operation on September 2, 2023, targeting the kidnappers’ den situated on top of a mountain in the Shande area of Kurmi, a village on the outskirts of Burra.
The rescued victims have been identified as follows:
1. Zahariya Ibrahim, 17, female, from Dana Village, Burra.
2. Walida Idi, 16, female, from Sabon da Mazai Village, Burra.
3. Maryam Shehu, 25, female, from Sabon Gida Mazai Village, Burra.
4. Abubakar Adamu, 15, male, of Ruwan Dinya village, Burra.
5. Muntari Badamasi, 40, male, of Shaka Leme village in Burra.
Others include Ibrahim Abdullahi, Sani Abdullahi, Ibrahim Rabi’u, Saleh Umaru, Isah Tashi, and Tasi’u Abdullahi, all of whom hail from various villages in Burra and nearby areas.
Some of the rescued victims sustained injuries during their captivity and were immediately taken to Burra General Hospital for medical treatment.
The police faced resistance from the kidnappers, who opened fire on the operatives upon their arrival. However, the security forces responded with superior firepower, engaging the kidnappers in a two-hour-long exchange. As a result, all 16 kidnapped victims were successfully rescued, with five of them sustaining various degrees of injuries while the rest were unhurt.
