Nine kidnap victims escape as abductors fall asleep in Katsina forest

Troops of the 17 Brigade have rescued nine kidnapped victims who escaped from a terrorists’ hideout after their captors reportedly fell asleep in Katsina State.

Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, Media Information Officer Joint Task Force (North West) Operation FANSAN YAMMA, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, July 17 July 2026. 

The victims were intercepted at about 8:30 a.m. on July 15, 2026 by troops on a foot patrol at Anguwan Doka in Faskari Local Government Area.

The rescued victims comprised three women, four men and two young children.

During preliminary interrogation, the victims disclosed that they had been abducted by armed terrorists along the Tsafe–Kuchere road in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

They told troops that they seized the opportunity to flee after the guards at the terrorists’ enclave fell asleep, trekking until they were encountered by the patrol team.

The victims identified themselves as indigenes of Kuchere village in Tsafe LGA of Zamfara State.

The military has taken the victims into protective custody, while efforts are ongoing to contact the relevant authorities for their formal handover and reunification with their families.

Theatre Commander, Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, commended the troops for their professionalism, vigilance, and resilience in sustaining pressure on criminal elements across the theatre. 

He reaffirmed the resolve of the Joint Task Force to sustain intelligence-driven operations in collaboration with other security agencies and law-abiding citizens, until terrorism and other forms of criminality are decisively defeated in the North West