Officers of the Niger State Police Command, working alongside other security agencies, have rescued 35 kidnapped victims from suspected Boko Haram insurgents.
The victims, which include women and children, were said to have been held in captivity for more than a year.
Reports indicated that the terrorists were moving the victims—who had been abducted from different locations across the state such as Pandogari, Madaka, Allawa, Sarkin-Pawa, Taraba State, and other areas—to Yauri in Kebbi State.
The bandits, who were fleeing the Birnin-Gwari forest following security forces’ clearance operations, were intercepted along the Madaka-Makujeri road by police tactical teams who found them with the captives.
The driver of the vehicle, identified as Yusuf Abdullahi from Birnin Gwari, was arrested at Tegina while transporting the victims to Yauri where he planned to hand them over to other members of the terrorist group.
Some of the victims had already been dropped off to board a different vehicle headed to Yauri.
Additional victims, consisting of five women and six children, were intercepted in Agwara while attempting to cross the river into Kebbi State.
Police recovered two magazines and 60 rounds of live ammunition during the operation.
Wasiu Abiodun, spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command, confirmed the rescue operation in a statement and said the victims had been moved to the State Police Headquarters in Minna for further investigation.
According to the statement, “Following the reports of suspected bandits relocating from Birnin-Gwari forest due to security forces’ clearance operations in the area, and from 3rd–5th July 2025, about 24 kidnapped victims, including women and children, who were kidnapped over a year ago from different locations in the state such as Pandogari, Madaka, Allawa, Sarkin-Pawa, even Taraba and other areas, were relocating to Yauri, Kebbi State.
“However, police tactical teams stationed along Madaka-Makujeri road intercepted most of the victims in a vehicle driven by Yusuf Abdullahi of B/Gwari, who was conveying them to Yauri to hand them over to other members of the group, while others were dropped at Tegina to board another vehicle to Yauri.
“The driver was arrested, the victims were rescued, and taken to a medical facility for attention before being reunited with their families.
“The investigation is ongoing with a view to rescuing other victims from the hoodlums and to also effect arrests.
“Similarly, on 4th July 2025 at about 4:30 pm, other victims comprising five women and six children were intercepted in Agwara during an attempt to cross the river to Yauri, Kebbi State.
“DPO Agwara Division took custody of them. Two magazines and sixty rounds of live ammunition were recovered. They were transferred to State Police Headquarters, Minna, for further investigation,” Abiodun said.
He also mentioned that the state Commissioner of Police, Adamu Elleman, praised the work of the joint security teams and encouraged the public to provide credible information to security agencies to support further rescues of kidnapped victims.
