Nigeria announces rescue of 308 kidnapped citizens

Kidnapping for ransom by armed groups and bandits has become a major crisis in Nigeria.More than 300 people who had been kidnapped across Nigeria have been freed in an intelligence and security operation, the government has announced.“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu warmly welcomes the successful rescue of 308 Nigerian citizens who were abducted in different attacks in Niger and Kwara states,” Bayo Onanuga, a special adviser to Nigeria’s president, said in a statement.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemslist 1 of 3Nigeria cannot build safe schools in unsafe communitieslist 2 of 3Ibrahim Traore: Why Burkina Faso’s popular leader faces a reality testlist 3 of 3Liberia’s kush crisis: The hidden trade behind a generation at riskend of listThe statement said that 163 of those rescued were abducted from the Woro Community in Kaiama Local Government Area in Kwara State, and 145 were taken from Niger State.“The victims were rescued from the Kainji Lake National Park Forest in New Bussa Local Government Area of Niger State”, according to the statement, as a result of a “coordinated, intelligence-driven operation”. The operation was carried out by the country’s National Counter Terrorism Centre, involving members of the armed forces, the police force and the Department of State Services.“It was the largest rescue operation ever carried out on the same day by Nigeria’s joint security team,” the statement added.The government in Kwara State, near the border with Benin, welcomed the rescue in a social media post, local channel Arise News reported.“Kudos to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, security forces, and everyone who played a role in this huge feat. We are grateful!”, said the Kwara government statement, announcing the release of those abducted during the February 3 attack on local communities in Kaiama.At least 200 people were killed in the attack, when suspected Boko Haram-linked fighters launched a coordinated assault that lasted several hours, according to the Nigeria-based Punch website.