Troops launch rescue operation as terrorists abduct Zamfara LG Chairman, kill three security personnel

By Tolu Temidire

Troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA have intensified efforts to rescue the Executive Chairman of Bungudu Local Government Area of Zamfara State, Hon. Nura Umar Abdullahi, who was abducted by suspected terrorists during an attack on his residence in the early hours of Friday.

The Joint Task Force (North West) said the attackers overpowered the chairman's police and local vigilante security detail before whisking him away along with some members of his family.

According to a statement issued by the Media Information Officer of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, troops responded immediately after hearing gunshots and engaged the fleeing terrorists in a fierce gun battle while pursuing them.

The military said the swift intervention forced the terrorists to abandon five members of the chairman's family, including his wife, mother, two children and another relative, all of whom were rescued safely. However, the abductors managed to escape into nearby bushes with the council chairman.

The attack claimed the lives of three members of the chairman's security team comprising two police officers and a local vigilante, who reportedly died while resisting the attackers. A civilian was also killed during the incident, while the chairman's elder brother, Alhaji Bello Umar, sustained injuries.

The Theatre Command disclosed that it had activated a coordinated search-and-rescue operation involving troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services (DSS) and local vigilante groups. Security forces, it said, are currently carrying out targeted operations in areas believed to be the terrorists' hideouts to secure the chairman's release.

The command said all available operational resources had been deployed for the mission and assured the Zamfara State Government and residents that every lawful measure was being taken to rescue the abducted chairman safely.

It also appealed to members of the public to remain calm, go about their lawful activities and provide credible information through established security channels, assuring that security agencies would continue working together until the chairman is rescued and those responsible for the attack are brought to justice.