Troops of Operation Safe Haven have rescued six persons abducted persons after intense exchange of gun fire wirh kidnappers around Zango-Lere forests in Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.
The family of the rescued persons, who were Fulani, had earlier been asked to pay a ransom of N10 million by the abductors.
Commander Operation Safe Haven, Maj. Gen. Rogers Nicholas said the kidnappers later abandoned their victims due to “the superior fire power they encountered from men of the taskforce”.
Father of one of the victims, Malam Isa Saleh, said the attackers stormed their settlement in Lere village around 11pm on the 19th of November, causing pandemonium among the residents before they made away with the victims.
He said the kidnappers did not shoot in the air as was the case with cattle rustlers but used touch lights to make their way into the settlement.
“Because of the confusion some of us went out to control the cows but unknown to us, the attackers had gone into some houses to abduct our children,” he said.
Commander, Forward Operation Base (FOB) at Tafawa Balewa, Col. Adeola Kalejaiye, who led the rescue team while handing over the victims to their parents at the OPSH headquarters in Jos, said troops were committed to ensuring that cattle rustling and kidnapping in the area were brought under control.
The Operation Safe Haven is the multi-security task force maintaining peace in the 17 local government areas of Plateau as wellas Bogoro and Tafawa Balewa local government areas of Bauchi State with its headquarters in Jos, Plateau State.
