No fewer than 11 people who were kidnapped by bandits have escaped from the camp of their abductors in the outskirts of Sabon Birni town in Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
This is just as the Niger State Commssioner for Information Mohammed Idris has regained freedom from bandits who abducted him on Monday.
Careful checks by security agencies o Thursday reveal that the 11 hostages are a mix of those kidnapped from Dumbin Rauga in Zaria Local Government Area and along the Kaduna-Zaria Highway.
Among them are five children between the ages of seven and 10 – all residents of Dumbin Rauga village in Zaria.
The six others are passengers travelling from Maiduguri in Borno State to Ilorin in Kwara State before they were abducted by bandits along the Kaduna-Zaria Road.
Following their escape from bandits’ custody, the 11 escapees were recovered by troops and subsequently reunited with their families.
The Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs in Kaduna, Samuel Aruwan, also confirmed the incident to Channels Television on Thursday.
According to him, the ongoing security operations in the state have dislodged many of the bandits’ camps, leaving them in disarray and enabling the escape of the hostages being held in captivity inside the camps.
It was reported that the families of those kidnapped at Dumbin Rauga had collectively paid a ransom of N3 million, but the bandits reneged on the agreement to release the captives.
They were said to have insisted that two motorcycles must be included in the ransom deal.
Elsewhere, troops of Operation Safe Haven rescued three kidnapped victims around Kirti village in Jema’a Local Government and Goza Village in Lere Local Government Area of the state.
The victims had been abducted by the bandits who later abandoned them upon sighting troops who were conducting clearance operations in the areas.
Mohammed Idris was released around 9:30pm at a location in Suleja after which he was taken to a hospital for medical check-up.
The officials, however, said no ransom was paid before the commissioner was released by his abductors.
Speaking after his release, the commissioner expressed gratitude to God for protecting him during his stay in the bandits’ den.
“As a Muslim, prayer is the best shield against evil. Allah has a way of testing the faith of believers,” he said.
“My abductors regretted their cruel action and I have forgiven them. I urge you to forgive them too.”
Mr. Idris was kidnapped at about one o’clock in the early hours of Monday from his home at Baban Tunga village in Tafa local government of the state.
Kidnappings have been on the rise in the northwest and central of Nigeria where heavily-armed groups have been operating. Foreign workers have also been occasionally targeted for ransom abduction.
Last weekend, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was kidnapped in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State.