Nigeria police rescue kidnapping victims in Nasarawa as army crushes bandit threats in Katsina

Police officers of the Nasarawa State Command halted a kidnapping attempt on a highway near Akwanga, rescuing four civilians unharmed after a gun battle with armed suspects. The operation, led by Divisional Police Officer Ramhan Nansel, also recovered stolen provisions and triggered a wider manhunt involving the military and local vigilantes.

In parallel, the Nigerian Army’s 17 Brigade, under Operation Fansan Yamma, reported neutralising 79 bandits in Katsina State between January and July 2026 and freeing 290 abducted persons. The brigade also recovered more than 2,200 rustled livestock and a cache of weapons, noting a 17 % drop in terrorist incidents compared with the previous year.

Other security incidents across the country included a bandit ambush on a vegetable‑laden truck on the Gummi–Sokoto highway in Zamfara State, which left one dead and several abducted before security forces rescued 11 hostages. In Rivers State, four people were killed and one injured when gunmen attacked a local vigilante commander’s compound in Omoku. Separate clashes in Kwara and Sokoto states also resulted in the killing of bandits and the rescue of kidnapping victims. These combined operations highlight a sustained crackdown on banditry, kidnapping and related criminal activity across several Nigerian states.