Troops of Operation Handarin Daji have rescued 39 children in Dandume Local Government Area of Katsina State.
In a statement issued on Sunday by the Director of Defence Media Operations, Major General John Enenche, the rescue efforts followed a distress call the troops received on Saturday night from locals at Mahuta village.
The locals, Enenche stated, said the bandits were “moving with unconfirmed numbers of Islamiya children mostly girls and rustled cattle.”
According to the defence spokesman, the “troops quickly mobilized to the scene, laid ambush and blocked the bandits’ route along Daudawa-Kadisau and road Sheme Mairuwa and Unguwar Audu village.”
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“Troops thereafter searched the general area and rescued the 39 kidnapped girls in addition to the recovery of 8 rustled cattle. The victims have been reunited with their families while the recovered cattle handed to the owners,” Enenche said.
“While patiently waiting for the bandits at the ambush and blocking position, troops established contact with bandits and engaged them.
“During the fierce battle, troops superior firepower forced bandits to abandon the children and the rustled cattle thereby forcing the bandits to flee in disarray into the forest.”
