Troops of Sector 2, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have rescued four kidnap victims after foiling a terrorist attack in Surimi, a border community between Kebbi and Sokoto states.

The operation, carried out on Friday, followed credible intelligence indicating the presence of armed terrorists operating in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.

According to military authorities, troops were immediately mobilised to Surimi, where they encountered the attackers and engaged them in a gun battle.

The military said the troops overpowered the terrorists with superior firepower, forcing them to abandon their captives and flee into the surrounding bush.

The four rescued victims were subsequently reunited with their families, while no casualty was recorded among the troops during the operation.

The operation forms part of ongoing efforts by Operation FANSAN YAMMA to combat terrorism and banditry and improve security across the North-West, particularly in vulnerable border communities.

Troops have rescued four kidnap victims, including a pregnant woman, during separate operations conducted in Kogi State and along the Kogi–Kwara border as security forces sustained operations against kidnappers in the area.

The development was disclosed in a report by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency and security analyst covering the Lake Chad region.

According to the report, troops of the 121 Battalion deployed at the Abocho Patrol Base rescued a female victim at about 10:00pm on July 7 along the Abocho–Ajegwuwa–Ohuwda Road in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State.

The victim reportedly told security personnel that she was abducted on July 5 from her residence in Ajiyolo Community in Dekina Local Government Area.

Makama further reported that troops of the 12 Brigade deployed at the Ogbagbo Block Position rescued a pregnant woman during a night patrol along the Jakura–Ogbagbo Road at about 3:45am on July 8.

The woman reportedly said she was kidnapped on June 28 near Obajana Community alongside three other victims and managed to escape after sustained military operations forced the suspected kidnappers to abandon their captives and flee.

The report added that troops stationed at the Isanlu Patrol Base also intercepted two escaped kidnap victims during a patrol around Latta Community along the Kogi–Kwara boundary on July 8.

“The victims disclosed that they were abducted while working on their farms in the Latta area of Patigi Local Government Area of Kwara State and taken to a kidnappers’ camp in the Chigogo Hills area of Kwara,” the report stated.

Makama said all four rescued victims received initial care and were reunited with their families, while the military reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining operations against kidnapping and other criminal activities across the North Central region.

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The Gombe State Government has ordered an immediate investigation into the collapse of a section of the entrance canopy at the ongoing construction site of the new Gombe State House of Assembly Complex.

The incident, which occurred on Friday, claimed one life and left seven construction workers injured.

In a statement issued by the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transportation, Danladi Adamu, the government said the collapse involved a section of the cantilevered entrance canopy that was under construction. It added that five of the injured workers are receiving treatment at the Gombe State Specialist Hospital, while two others are being treated at the Federal Teaching Hospital (FTH), Gombe.

The government also directed that all injured workers be given comprehensive medical treatment at the government’s expense. It further directed the Ministry of Works, Housing and Transportation, alongside relevant emergency, regulatory and technical agencies, to immediately commence safety and accountability procedures to determine the cause of the incident.

As part of the investigation, the contractor handling the project and the supervising consultant have been directed to submit a formal incident report within 24 hours.

They are also expected to provide a preliminary investigation report, followed by a comprehensive technical report containing findings and recommendations.

The government said it would allow the outcome of the investigation to guide its decisions and promised to take appropriate action in line with applicable safety and engineering standards.

It reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring strict compliance with safety, quality and engineering standards in the execution of public infrastructure projects across the state, adding that further updates would be provided as verified information becomes available.