Operatives of the Sokoto State Police Command, working with the Nigerian Army, have rescued 32 kidnapped victims and foiled a bandit operation in Maikujera Village, Rabah Local Government Area of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Ahmad Rufa’i, disclosed this in a statement issued on Monday, saying the operation was launched after a distress call reported the movement of heavily armed bandits with kidnapped victims and rustled livestock.

According to the police, tactical teams, including the Anti-Kidnapping Unit and the Violent Crime Reaction Unit, were immediately deployed and worked with personnel from the Army Forward Operating Base to block the bandits’ escape routes.

The statement said security operatives engaged the criminals in a fierce gun battle, forcing them to abandon the kidnapped victims and rustled animals before fleeing into the forest.

A follow-up search operation led to the rescue of 32 victims, comprising six adult men and 26 females, most of whom were children.

The rescued victims were evacuated to safety and are receiving medical and psychological support before being reunited with their families.

Police, however, confirmed that four people were killed by the bandits before security personnel arrived at the scene.

The command said efforts were ongoing to track down the fleeing suspects and reaffirmed its commitment to sustaining joint operations against banditry and kidnapping across the state.