Police Rescue 75 Travellers After Kaduna Kidnappers Flee Into Forest

By Opeyemi Adelakun

The Kaduna State Police Command has rescued 75 travellers abducted by armed men in Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of the state, after security operatives moved swiftly to the area following a distress alert.

The victims, comprising men, women and children, were reportedly travelling in commercial buses when they were intercepted by gunmen near Folwaya Village, close to Birnin Gwari, on Wednesday, August 19.

According to the police, the attackers, who were armed with AK-47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons, took the victims into a forest and concealed them inside a cave located in a mountainous area.

The command’s spokesperson, Mansir Hassan, said the rescue operation was launched after the Birnin Gwari branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers alerted the police to the abduction.

He said a team from the Birnin Gwari Area Command was immediately deployed to the location.

The arrival of the police operatives reportedly forced the kidnappers to abandon their captives and escape into the surrounding forest.

The victims were subsequently rescued unharmed.

The Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, Rabiu Muhammad, commended the NURTW officials for promptly providing information that enabled the security operation.

He also praised the Area Commander, Birnin Gwari, and his personnel for their swift response.

Muhammad urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements and activities to security agencies.

The commissioner further warned residents against taking the law into their own hands, noting that self-help could worsen the security situation and expose innocent people to greater danger.

Birnin Gwari has remained one of Kaduna State’s major security flashpoints, with communities and travellers in the area facing recurring threats from kidnapping, armed banditry and attacks by criminal groups operating from forested locations.

The insecurity has also affected movement and economic activities along routes connecting parts of Kaduna with neighbouring areas.