Niger State Police Command has rescued 35 women and children who were held in captivity for over a year by suspected bandits. The victims were rescued in two separate operations carried out along the Madaka-Mekunjeri Road and in Agwara, both located in Rafi and Agwara local government areas of the state.
According to LEADERSHIP sources, 24 of the victims were abducted early last year from various communities including Pandogari, Madaka, Allawa, and Sarkin-Pawa. They were rescued while being transported to Yauri in Kebbi State by members of a bandit syndicate.
The breakthrough came when police tactical teams stationed along the Madaka-Mekunjeri axis intercepted a vehicle driven by one Yusuf Abdullahi from Birnin Gwari, Kaduna State. He was reportedly conveying the victims to Yauri, where they were to be handed over to another cell of the criminal network operating in Kebbi State.
Eyewitnesses revealed that some of the victims had initially been dropped off in Tegina to board another vehicle, but the police successfully intercepted and rescued them before they could be transferred further.
Spokesperson of the Niger State Police Command, DSP Wasiu Abiodun, confirmed the development. He said the rescue was the result of intensified operations against bandit groups operating around the Allawa and Birnin Gwari forests. He added that the driver of the intercepted vehicle was arrested, and the rescued victims were taken to a medical facility for proper care before being reunited with their families.
In a related operation, the police also intercepted another group of 11 victims—comprising five women and six children—in Agwara, as they attempted to cross a river into Kebbi State. These victims were also rescued and secured by law enforcement.
The forests near Allawa and Birnin Gwari have long been notorious for banditry, including the abduction of villagers and farmers for ransom, with some victims killed even after payments were made. However, recent joint operations by security forces in these forested areas, located along the boundary of Niger and Kaduna States, have led to a renewed crackdown on criminal elements.
Security officials believe the pressure has forced many of the bandits to relocate both their hideouts and captives to neighbouring Kebbi State.
DSP Abiodun assured that investigations are ongoing to apprehend other members of the gang and rescue additional victims still in captivity.
