Troops of Operation Fansan Yamma have rescued 48 kidnapped victims following a fierce gun battle with terrorists in Magami village, Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

The terrorists attacked the village in the early hours of Sunday, Aliyu Danja, the spokesman for the operation, said in a statement on Saturday.

He said the operation was launched after troops of Sector 2 received a distress call indicating that a large group of terrorists, riding about 40 motorcycles, had invaded the community. 

“The terrorists rounded up numerous residents with the intention of taking them into the bush, while another group remained at the outskirts of the village with the motorcycles,” he said.

Mr Danja said the troops immediately engaged the terrorists in a fierce firefight, forcing them to abandon the kidnapped victims and flee into the surrounding bush. 

He added that the prompt intervention led to the successful rescue of all 48 abducted civilians.

“Regrettably, one civilian lost his life during the attack, while two others sustained gunshot wounds and were evacuated to the General Hospital, Kaura Namoda, where they are currently receiving medical treatment,” he said.

Mr Danja added that following the rescue operation, troops patrolled the area to forestall any further attack.