Troops Rescued 16 Abducted Sokoto Students — DHQ  

Troops working in collaboration with local authorities have rescued 16 abducted pupils and a woman in Sokoto State, the Defence Headquarters (DHQ) has disclosed.

Recall that terrorists on March 9, 2024 invaded and kidnapped 16 pupils with a woman in Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

A statement by the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba said the children were rescued on 21 March, 2024 during a cordon and search operation by the military working with local authorities and government agencies across the country.

Buba said the rescued hostages have been handed over to the Sokoto State Government for further action.

He said the armed forces is deploying resources to find other innocent hostages and track down the terrorists that perpetrated these crimes.

“These efforts would continue until they are found and the terrorists arrested, tried, and brought to justice by Nigerian law. The military would not rest until all kidnapped hostages are rescued,” he said.

He stated further that troops are deploying same effort to track down the culprits responsible for the killings of 18 soldiers in Okuama Community in Delta State on 14 March, 2024.

General Buba reiterated that military has released banner of wanted terrorists and their cohorts in a bid to curb the freedom of action.

He said “the banners would be deployed in strategic areas across the country. The deployment of the banner is for ease of recognition and arrest of the wanted persons.”