Troops of the 17 Brigade under Joint Task Force (North West) Operation FANSAN YAMMA have rescued nine kidnapped victims who escaped from a terrorists’ hideout after their captors reportedly fell asleep in Katsina State.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday, July 17, 2026, by the Media Information Officer of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja.
According to the statement, the victims were intercepted by troops at about 8:30 a.m. on July 15, 2026, during a routine foot patrol at Anguwan Doka in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The rescued victims comprised three women, four men and two young children.
During preliminary interrogation, the victims told troops that they had been abducted by armed terrorists along the Tsafe–Kuchere Road in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
They explained that they seized an opportunity to escape after the guards at the terrorists’ hideout reportedly fell asleep. The victims said they trekked for several hours before encountering the military patrol.
The victims identified themselves as residents of Kuchere village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The military said the rescued persons have been placed in protective custody while arrangements are being made to contact the appropriate authorities for their formal handover and reunification with their families.
The Theatre Commander of Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, commended the troops for their professionalism, vigilance and resilience in maintaining pressure on terrorist and criminal groups operating across the North-West.
He also reaffirmed the task force’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-led operations in collaboration with other security agencies and law-abiding citizens until terrorism and other forms of criminality are decisively eliminated from the region.
Troops of the 17 Brigade under Joint Task Force (North West) Operation FANSAN YAMMA have rescued nine kidnapped victims who escaped from a terrorists’ hideout after their captors reportedly fell asleep in Katsina State.
The development was disclosed in a statement issued on Friday, July 17, 2026, by the Media Information Officer of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja.
According to the statement, the victims were intercepted by troops at about 8:30 a.m. on July 15, 2026, during a routine foot patrol at Anguwan Doka in Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State.
The rescued victims comprised three women, four men and two young children.
During preliminary interrogation, the victims told troops that they had been abducted by armed terrorists along the Tsafe–Kuchere Road in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
They explained that they seized an opportunity to escape after the guards at the terrorists’ hideout reportedly fell asleep. The victims said they trekked for several hours before encountering the military patrol.
The victims identified themselves as residents of Kuchere village in Tsafe Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
The military said the rescued persons have been placed in protective custody while arrangements are being made to contact the appropriate authorities for their formal handover and reunification with their families.
The Theatre Commander of Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, commended the troops for their professionalism, vigilance and resilience in maintaining pressure on terrorist and criminal groups operating across the North-West.
He also reaffirmed the task force’s commitment to sustaining intelligence-led operations in collaboration with other security agencies and law-abiding citizens until terrorism and other forms of criminality are decisively eliminated from the region.
