Eleven abductees including three children have regained their freedom in Zamfara.
The children who are aged between one and seven years were, alongside five men and three women, handed over to Gov. Bello Matawalle on Sunday in Gusau.
This was disclosed in a statement signed and issued by the Director-General, Press Affairs to the governor, Yusuf Idris, in Gusau on Sunday.
A to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, Idris said the eleven victims released were earlier abducted by bandits in Shinkafi and Jangeru in Shinkafi Local Government Area, and Aljimma Fulani village of Maru Local Government Area.
He said, while receiving the rescued victims from the Commissioner of Police at the Government House, Gusau, Gov. Matawalle expressed optimism in the peace process recently initiated by his administration which was yielding positive results and ending security challenges in the state.
“The governor also expressed happiness that in the past three days, he has not received any report of kidnapping, Cattle rustling or bandits attack in any part of the state unlike in the past when such reports came several times in a day,” the director-general said.
Idris said the governor commended the efforts of security agencies, especially the police, in tackling banditry in the state, and assured of his continued support for them to rid the state of all forms of criminality.
Earlier, while handing over the rescued persons to the governor, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr. Usman Nagogo, reiterated his commitment to the peace process which was recently initiated by the governor.
Nagogo said the victims had been in captivity for over two months and that during the rescue operation, the bandits also released one Abubakar Halliru, an indigene of Gwaronyo Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
NAN reports that the governor had directed the government house clinic to take care of all the medical needs of the victims before the state government would finally reunite them with their respective families.
NAN also reports that with the release of the 11 persons, the police have rescued a total of 51 abductees from repentant bandits between Thursday and Sunday under the governor’s peace and reconciliation initiative.
NAN
