The Nigeria Police Force on Sunday said 10 people have been rescued from a foiled attempted abduction by suspected bandits along the Funtua-Gusau highway.

The agency said the victims were rescued by policemen from the Faskari Division of the Katsina State Police Command who engaged the kidnappers in a gun duel, causing the criminals to flee with bullet wounds.

The Force Public Relations Officer, ACP Olumuyiwa Adejobi, who disclosed this in a statement, said, ?On April 19, 2025, at about 9:35 pm, acting upon information, operatives of the Faskari Division of the Katsina State Police Command successfully foiled a kidnap attempt along the Funtua-Gusau highway.

?They engaged the bandits in a fierce gun duel, causing them to escape with bullet wounds. As a result of the swift response, 10 victims, including two drivers and eight passengers, were rescued unhurt and reunited with their families.?

Similarly, the police said one Umar Ahmad, 40, a ?notorious criminal? who had been wanted by the agency for several months, was apprehended at a roadblock in Jalingo on April 18, 2025, by men attached to the State Intelligence Department (SID), Taraba State, in collaboration with local vigilante.

According to the statement, further investigation led to the recovery of two AK-47s, one of which belongs to the state command.

?Following interrogation, Ahmad led operatives to Mayo Faran Village in Mayo Belwa LGA, a border town between Taraba and Adamawa states. A comprehensive search of the area led to the recovery of two AK-47 rifles, eight magazines, and 39 rounds of live ammunition,? the statement read in part.

?Further investigation revealed that one of the recovered guns belongs to the Taraba State Police Command which was earlier carted away during an ambush in 2023, where kidnappers attacked a team of the Anti-Kidnapping squad, resulting in the death of one ASP Aminu Nuhu.

The Force also said that police officers attached to Fegge Divisional Headquarters, Anambra State, on April 17, 2025, while on patrol along Port Harcourt Road, Upper Iweka, Onitsha, intercepted a shuttle bus parked suspiciously along the road.

The statement explained that upon conducting a thorough search of the bus, five pump-action guns, eight live cartridges, and two handcuffs were found concealed in a bag of rice.

It said while the recovered bus had been subjected to forensic examination, effort was being intensified to locate the culprits.

The statement added, ?In a related development at about 1:27 pm on the same day, operatives of the Rapid Response Squad/Anti-Kidnapping Unit, Anambra State command, acting on credible intelligence, arrested 25-year-old Israel Akachukwu at his residence on Ezeigwe Street Nkpor, Idemili North LGA.

?A search conducted at his apartment led to the recovery of two pump-action guns, two live cartridges, a cutlass, a yellow axe, and a dagger. The suspect confessed to being a member of the Vikings Confraternity and is cooperating with the police to identify and arrest other members of the gang.?

Adejobi noted that the recent achievements were a demonstration of the Force?s commitment to improved internal security through a series of successful operations resulting in the significant rescue of kidnap victims, arrests and recoveries of illegal arms.

?The Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Adeolu Egbetokun, commends the officers for their professionalism and prompt response, which has led to these remarkable successes.

?The IGP further reiterates the commitment of the Force to protecting the lives and property of citizens,? he added. (Channels TV)

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