Nigerian troops have rescued nine kidnapped victims in Niger State and foiled an attempted terrorist ambush as part of a wave of coordinated military operations carried out across the country between Wednesday and Thursday this week. 

The nine victims were freed by troops of the NATRAC Administrative Battalion, operating under Operation Savannah Shield, following an offensive operation at Forward Operating Base Kotonkoro in Mariga Local Government Area of Niger State.

The rescued victims were subsequently handed over to local authorities in Mariga for reunification with their families.

In a related development, troops of Operation Savannah Shield successfully repelled an ambush laid by terrorists along the Shambo-Warari Road in Rijau Local Government Area. The attackers abandoned a motorcycle and fled into the bush after being engaged by soldiers, though one military vehicle sustained tyre damage during the encounter.

Elsewhere, the operations extended into several other states as security forces continued their nationwide push against banditry and terrorism. In Plateau State, troops attached to Sector One of Operation Enduring Peace arrested 20 suspected criminals, made up of 16 men and four women, in raids carried out at the Hamas Terminus and Congo Russia areas of Jos North Local Government Area.

Those apprehended have been handed over to the Nigeria Police for further investigation and prosecution. In Adamawa State, troops of the 247 Reconnaissance Battalion arrested two suspected terrorist logistics suppliers in the Mubi North and Mubi South council areas, while in Gwoza, Borno State, two Boko Haram fighters surrendered to troops along with their wives and an infant, handing over two AK-47 rifles and ammunition in the process.