Nigerian Army troops of 17 Brigade in conjunction with personnel of the Nigeria Police Force have rescued some kidnapped persons from bandits in Jibia town of Katsina State on Monday, May 10, 2021.
The Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Mohammed Yerima stated this in press release made available on May 11, 2021 that the security forces had earlier averted a planned attack by armed bandits on Magama Central Mosque in Jibia Local Government Area of Katsina State. Several locals were said to have gone to the mosque to observe the late night Ramadan prayers.
It was added that late night prayers are very common among the Muslim faithful, particularly in the last days of the Holy Ramadan season.
It was further stated in the press release that a large number of bandits came firing sporadically
in the early hours of Monday in
an attempt to disrupt the prayers and abduct innocent worshippers.
However, the bandits were forced to
withdraw in disarray due to the overwhelming firepower of a combined team comprising of army troops and police personnel.
The security forces were said to have been tactically deployed in the town after receiving intelligence on the planned attack.
Meanwhile, while the troops maintained vigilance to forestall further attack on the mosque, the retreating criminals whose main intent could not be actualised; however, decided to raid a local mosque at the outskirts of Jibia town where they kidnapped some persons.
Moreover, on getting the information, the combined team aggressively pursued the bandits and this effort forced the criminals to abandon most of the hostages while they fled with an unknown number.
Moreso, the rescued victims have since reunited with their families while further collaborative efforts are being made with neighbouring military establishments of Niger Republic to rescue other persons taken hostage.
It was also assured that the situation in Jibia town was under control as reinforcements have since arrived the area in order to facilitate the rescue efforts. Local inhabitants of Jibia town have also been advised to go ahead with their normal business and report any suspicious activity to the security agency nearest to them.