Nigerian police rescue 8 from gunmen kidnap in Katsina state
A member of the Nigerian Military Police sits on an armoured vehicle.
Lagos,
Nigerian police have rescued eight persons after thwarting an attempted kidnap by gunmen on a road in the northwest state Katsina, a police spokesperson said.
Gambo Isah, the police spokesperson in Katsina, said in a statement reaching Xinhua on Saturday that a group of gunmen armed with AK 47 rifles blocked a road at Kabobi village in Batsari local government area of the state on Friday, attacking and attempting to whisk all occupants of a vehicle into the forest.
A team of police operatives were send to the village after receiving a distress call and engaged the bandits in a gun duel during which eight victims were rescued, Isah said.
"Those rescued include a 70-year-old man, a 13-year-old girl, three 12-year-old girls, all from Garin Inu village, Batsari local government area of Katsina state," he said, adding that a 20-year-old mother and her two children were also among those rescued.
The police spokesperson said the police are still combing the area with a view of arresting the fleeing bandits and rescuing the remaining three missing persons after the gunmen attack.
The northern part of the most populous African country has witnessed a series of attacks by armed groups in recent months, leading to many deaths and civilians kidnapped.
