Nigeria's military said it freed 33 people who had been abducted by armed men while travelling through Zamfara state in the country's north-west, with all hostages recovered unharmed. The rescue took place on a Saturday afternoon in the Tsafe area of the state after troops and police mobilised immediately upon learning of the kidnapping.
According to the army, soldiers intercepted the kidnappers as they were attempting to move their captives to an undisclosed location. Coming under fire from the troops, the gunmen abandoned the hostages and escaped into nearby bushland.
Kidnapping for ransom by armed groups remains a persistent problem across north-western Nigeria, where major highways have increasingly become sites of ambush and abduction. Analysts attribute the continued frequency of such attacks partly to ransom payments made by desperate relatives, negotiators acting on their behalf, and in some instances by government authorities themselves, which critics say sustain the criminal economy behind the kidnappings.
Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, a spokesman for the Nigerian army, said it remained unclear exactly where the abductors had intended to take their captives before troops caught up with them, and confirmed that efforts to track down the fleeing kidnappers were ongoing.
