Troops foil terrorist attack in Sokoto, rescue two kidnapped victims

Troops of the Joint Task Force North-West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have foiled a terrorist attack in Sokoto State and rescued two kidnapped victims during separate military operations in the North-West.

The operations, conducted on September 12 and 13, also resulted in the arrest of a suspected illicit drug peddler in Kaduna State.

According to a statement by the Joint Task Force Media Information Officer, Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, Sector 1 troops conducting a stop-and-search operation along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari Road intercepted a man identified as Yohana Musa on September 12.

The suspect was allegedly found with a large quantity of illicit drugs and other substances while travelling towards Birnin Gwari.

The suspect and the recovered items were subsequently taken into military custody for further investigation.

In a separate operation in Sokoto on September 13, Sector 2 troops responded to a distress call following an attack on Unguwan Lalle in Sabon Birni Local Government Area.

The troops engaged the attackers and forced them to retreat, rescuing two kidnapped victims in the process.

After receiving intelligence that the attackers were attempting to regroup, the soldiers moved to their location and engaged them again, forcing them to withdraw.

A subsequent search of the area led to the recovery of 157 rounds of PKT ammunition, phone batteries and other items.

The Joint Task Force said the operations were part of continuing efforts to disrupt terrorist activities and restrict the movement of criminal groups across the North-West.

Residents were also encouraged to continue providing timely and credible information to security agencies.