The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), General Christopher Musa, has revealed that many individuals involved in banditry were coerced into the criminal activity rather than joining willingly.
He made this statement in Abuja on Saturday while receiving 58 rescued kidnapping victims from the National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu.
General Musa also accused certain individuals of undermining the Nigerian government’s efforts to tackle insurgency, assuring that such acts of sabotage would be addressed decisively.
Addressing the plight of the victims, he stated: “You can see from the people, the women, the children, both girls and boys, and the little one.
“The question you want to ask is why would somebody kidnap these kinds of people? If you see them, they are barely just surviving.”
He emphasized that not all bandits willingly participated in criminal activities, with some being conscripted into these groups against their will. He pledged that security forces would ensure justice for the victims.
“For the innocent blood they have spilled, for those they have restricted their freedom, the security personnel will get back at them, and they will face the law,” the CDS asserted.
General Musa emphasized that no ransom was paid to secure the release of the victims, highlighting the military’s reliance on non-kinetic strategies to accomplish the rescue.
He urged Nigerians to provide greater support in the fight against insecurity, stressing that collective effort is essential for success.
Maj. Gen. Adamu Laka, the National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Center, disclosed that preliminary investigations identified the captors as armed bandits under the notorious terrorist leader Janbros.
He revealed that the victims were forced to walk hundreds of kilometers to a dense forest in Birnin Gwari.
Six of the victims, who were initially hospitalized, have now recovered and reunited with the others for transfer to their families. Laka assured that the government provided necessary assistance, including medical care and rehabilitation plans, to stabilize the victims.
Sani Limankila, Chief of Staff to the Kaduna State Governor, called on citizens to work with security agencies to eliminate kidnapping and banditry.
The 58 rescued victims, comprising 35 males and 23 females, were abducted from their homes and farmlands in Gayam, Sabon Layi, and Kwaga villages in the Dan Musa Local Government Area of Katsina State.
Troops from the 1 Division of the Nigerian Army successfully carried out the rescue operation on November 14.
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