Two children of a Zamfara lawmaker, Hon Aminu Ardo who were abducted from Jangebe village, in Talata Mafara Local Government Area of Zamfara State in November 2022 have been rescued.
The female minors, aged 10 and 12 had been in captivity for 19 months before they were rescued by a Joint Task Force of security operatives a few days ago.
The Inspector-General of Police (IGP), Kayode Egbetokun, revealed this during a press briefing on Wednesday, in Abuja.
The assailants riding on 60 motorcycles, abducted the minors with two other siblings and their pregnant mother, from the residence of the lawmaker.
The children: Maryam, Nana Asma’u, Ummul Khairi, and Abdulrazaq, and the mother, Hauwa’u were said to have been taken to an unknown forest in Katsina State.
While in captivity, the police said they endured “a harrowing journey by foot and motorcycle; these children were sustained on meagre rations of maize and salt, drinking water from a nearby stream.”
Hauwa’u was said to have also delivered a child under extreme harsh conditions, while in captivity, but the newborn did not survive.
But the police revealed that the two minors were successfully rescued through a “strategic initiative stemming from leveraging advanced intelligence from our Force Intelligence Department and operational tactics from the Anti-Kidnapping Squad, Katsina Command.”
The joint operation also involved tactical support from the Nigerian Airforce 215 FOB, Funtua, which led to locating and safe rescue of these minors.
The minors have now been reunited with their families
