Nigerian Security Forces Successfully Free 187 Citizens Kidnapped By Armed Gangs

Illustration of Nigerian security forces. (Wikimedia Commons/VOA/Nicolas Pinault)

JAKARTA - Nigerian security forces on Thursday rescued 187 people who had been kidnapped and held hostage by armed gangs in the northwestern state of Zamfara, police said, after authorities launched a security operation against the kidnappers.

Since December last year, Zamfara has been the center of often violent kidnappings by heavily armed bandits targeting schools, villages, and people traveling on highways for ransom.

The government last month shut down telecommunications networks in Zamfara and other states, to disrupt coordination and communication between armed gangs.

Mohammed Shehu, police spokesman for Zamfara said in a statement that some 187 people, including women and children, had been arrested by kidnappers from four local government areas in the state several weeks ago.

"Police and other security agencies have carried out attacks on the locations of identified bandits in various parts of the state, with the aim of clearing the country of all activities of recalcitrant bandits and other criminal elements," Shehu said.

Images and videos circulated by Nigerian police to the media show several people, in torn clothes, waiting to return to their homes after being released.

As you know, armed gangs in Nigeria have grown bolder over time, attacking army posts, removing prisoners from prison, and shooting down an air force jet in July.

Authorities in neighboring states complained that bandits expelled from Zamfara had entered their territory and caused chaos.