The Niger State Police Command has rescued four tree cutters abducted by suspected bandits following a gun duel in the Kankara area of the state.
The rescue was disclosed in a post shared on X on Wednesday by security analyst Zagazola Makama.
According to the post, the operation occurred on February 3, 2026, when police patrol teams on a confidence-building patrol along the Ketare–Kankara Road sighted suspected bandits hiding in the Makulawa forest.
The officers were said to have engaged the armed men in a gunfight, forcing them to flee deeper into the bush.
In the course of the operation, the four kidnapped victims were safely rescued.
Those freed were identified as Ibrahim Dauda (40), Yakubu Aliyu (32), Hamisu Saidu (23), and Aminu Garba (22), all residents of Malumfashi township.
The victims were later reunited with their families.
Security sources said major escape routes used by the suspects were immediately blocked, adding that efforts were ongoing to track down and arrest the fleeing bandits.