The Defence Headquarters said the troops of Operation Hadarin Daji rescued 16 pupils (Almajirai) and a woman abducted by terrorists on March 9 in the Gada Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

This is contained in a statement by the Director, Defence Media Operations, Maj.-Gen. Edward Buba, on Saturday in Abuja.

Mr Buba said the hostages were rescued on Thursday by the military in collaboration with local authorities and government agencies across the country, in a coordinated search and rescue operation.

He said the rescued hostages had been handed over to the Sokoto State Government for further action.

According to him, the armed forces are extending efforts and resources to find other innocent hostages and track down the terrorists that perpetrated those crimes.

“These efforts would continue until they are found and the terrorists arrested, tried, and brought to justice by Nigerian law. The military would not rest until all kidnapped hostages are rescued,” he said.

Mr Buba also said troops were deploying the same effort to track down the culprits responsible for the killing of 18 soldiers in Okuama community in Delta on March 14.

He added, “Indeed, to curb the freedom of action of terrorists and the perpetrators of insecurity across the country, the military has released a banner of wanted terrorists and their cohorts. The banners would be deployed in strategic areas across the country. The deployment of the banner is for ease of recognition and arrest of the wanted persons. The public is urged to cooperate and report, please.’’ 

(NAN)