Nigeria’s army says it has freed eleven people abducted by gunmen during an overnight operation along the Kaduna–Abuja highway, one of the country’s most dangerous transport corridors.
In a statement, the military said troops from the Forward Operating Base in Doka detected the kidnappers on the night of January 26 using long-range surveillance equipment. Soldiers moved in after spotting armed men escorting their captives along a bush path near the highway.
The rescued victims—five men, three women and three children—had been held in captivity for 92 days after they were abducted in October from the community of Gada Mallam Maman in Kaduna State.
Kidnapping for ransom continues to pose a serious security threat in north-west and central Nigeria, particularly along the Kaduna–Abuja road, a critical link between the nation’s commercial hub and federal capital.
Armed groups operating in Nigeria’s conflict-affected regions often use motorcycles to navigate vast forest reserves that serve as hideouts, allowing them to evade security forces.
Nigeria’s handling of the security crisis has also drawn international attention in recent months. The United States has accused the Nigerian government of failing to adequately protect Christians, although violence affects both Christian and Muslim communities. The allegations have strained diplomatic ties and preceded a U.S. military strike in December against suspected Islamic State group members in Nigeria—an operation Nigerian authorities said they were aware of.
