Daniel Otera
More than three dozen victims held hostage by Boko Haram insurgents for over a year have regained their freedom following a series of coordinated rescue missions in Niger State. The victims, abducted from communities spanning multiple local government areas, were rescued between 3 and 5 July in two separate security operations carried out by police tactical teams and the Joint Security Task Force.
The operations mark a significant milestone in Nigeria’s ongoing struggle against the deepening security crisis in the North-Central region. The rescued individuals comprising men, women, and children had reportedly endured months of captivity in remote forest camps operated by terror factions linked to the notorious Birnin-Gwari axis of Kaduna State.
The rescue, confirmed by the Niger State Police Command, sheds new light on the insurgents’ shifting tactics and the porous nature of inter-state borders. Security sources suggest that the victims’ movement towards Kebbi State formed part of a broader strategy to evade intensified military pressure in Birnin-Gwari, a known insurgent stronghold.
“Following reports of bandits relocating from the Birnin-Gwari forest due to clearance operations, police tactical teams intercepted 24 kidnapped victims including women and children,” said Police Public Relations Officer, SP Wasiu Abiodun. “The vehicle conveying them was driven by Yusuf Abdullahi, who attempted to hand them over to another criminal group. He has been arrested and is currently under investigation.”
The victims, abducted from Pandogari, Madaka, Allawa, Sarkin-Pawa, and parts of Taraba State, were reportedly held in captivity for more than 12 months, a timeline that raises serious concerns about the scale and duration of unreported abductions in Nigeria’s hinterlands.
In a second operation in Agwara, 11 victims, five women and six children, were intercepted while attempting to cross a river on their way to Yauri in Kebbi State. They were taken into custody by the Divisional Police Officer and later transferred to the state police headquarters in Minna.
Recovered from the rescue sites were two magazines and 60 rounds of live ammunition, indicating the continued movement of arms between criminal groups operating across Niger, Kebbi, and Kaduna States.
The latest rescue mission shines a spotlight on the expanding footprint of kidnap-for-ransom networks across Nigeria’s rural corridors. Verified data from the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) indicates that between January 2024 and April 2025, security agencies recorded 3,012 abduction cases across the country, underscoring the widespread nature of the crisis.
Further analysis from SBM Intelligence reveals that Niger State alone accounted for 48 kidnap-related incidents and 689 victims between July 2023 and June 2024 placing it among the top seven states most affected by the kidnapping epidemic. This reflects the growing threat faced by residents in hinterland communities, where security presence remains thin.
Monthly conflict tracking by HumAngle reported 101 abductions in March 2025 and 190 in April 2025, pointing to a persistent pattern of violence and hostage-taking, particularly in the North-Central and North-West regions.
Despite repeated assurances by government and security operatives, abductions remain a daily reality in many ungoverned spaces, often underreported due to limited media access and fear of retaliation.
Security analysts have consistently flagged the Birnin-Gwari–Makujeri–Tegina–Yauri axis as a strategic transit route exploited by kidnapping syndicates to transport abductees across forested boundaries undetected.
According to a special report by Eons Intelligence, the corridor forms part of what experts describe as a “terror highway” stretching from Zamfara and Kaduna into parts of Niger and Kebbi States. Hostages, firearms, and insurgents are moved via motorcycles and riverine routes to evade security patrols.
A related investigation by The Nation noted that waterways have become the preferred transport route during the rainy season, particularly in areas like Tegina and Agwara, where river crossings offer discreet escape paths.
“The fact that these victims were being transported across states after more than a year in captivity suggests a level of coordination among criminal syndicates that goes beyond casual banditry,” said a retired senior police officer who spoke under anonymity. “It points to a fragmented but fluid network of insurgent operations where territories, hostages, and weapons are traded like commodities.”
While security forces have received praise for the coordinated rescue, operational limitations persist. Niger State spans 76,363 square kilometres, making it Nigeria’s largest state by landmass a factor that significantly complicates security coverage across its 25 local government areas.
Despite its size, fewer than 7,000 police officers are deployed across the state, according to public statements by the Niger State Government. In a 2023 report, Governor Mohammed Bago revealed that the state had just over 4,000 operational police personnel a figure far below the United Nations’ recommended police-to-population ratio of 1:450.
The limited manpower, compounded by difficult terrain, poor road infrastructure, and vast ungoverned spaces, has continued to undermine rapid response and intelligence-gathering efforts in the rural communities most vulnerable to insurgent attacks.
While the police confirmed that the rescued victims have been reunited with their families after receiving medical treatment, long-term rehabilitation remains uncertain. Nigeria currently lacks a coherent psychosocial support framework for survivors of kidnapping many of whom return home with deep trauma, disrupted education, and in some cases, pregnancies resulting from sexual violence in captivity.
A 2024 report by The Nation highlighted the rising prevalence of post-traumatic stress and depression among survivors of banditry and abductions, especially in northern communities with limited access to mental health services (The Nation).
Academic research from Zamfara State confirmed that many female student survivors of kidnapping face long-term stigma and social isolation, limiting their academic reintegration (ResearchGate).
Experts have increasingly called for a shift from reactive rescue operations to proactive community protection strategies. These include stronger early-warning systems, intelligence-driven policing, and state-supported psychosocial interventions targeted at vulnerable communities in high-risk Local Government Areas (LGAs) across Niger, Kebbi, Kaduna, and Zamfara States.
A socio-legal study from Adekunle Ajasin University underscored the need for structured aftercare programmes, including trauma counselling, economic reintegration, and access to education.
Yusuf Abdullahi, the driver allegedly transporting the victims for onward handover to other insurgents, remains in police custody. Security authorities say further arrests are likely as investigations unfold.
The Commissioner of Police, Adamu Abdullahi Elleman, urged residents to continue supporting security forces.
“Timely and actionable information from the public remains crucial in rescuing other victims and dismantling the networks of these criminal elements,” he said.
