Troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA have foiled a terrorist attack and rescued two kidnapped victims in Sabon Birni Local Government Area of Sokoto State after engaging fleeing terrorists in two separate gun battles, recovering 157 rounds of PKT ammunition and other items.
The Joint Task Force North West disclosed the operation in a statement issued on Sunday by its Media Information Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, who said the troops responded to a distress call on September 13 following a terrorist attack on Unguwan Lalle community in Sabon Birni LGA.
According to the statement, troops of Sector 2 swiftly mobilised to the area and engaged the terrorists in a fierce gunfight, forcing them to retreat while successfully rescuing two kidnapped victims.
The statement added that credible intelligence later revealed that the terrorists were attempting to regroup and return to the area, prompting the troops to launch another operation.
During the second encounter, the troops again overpowered the terrorists, who fled the scene, abandoning 157 rounds of PKT ammunition, phone batteries and other items, which were subsequently recovered during a search of the area.
The military noted that the recovered ammunition indicated the level of preparation by the terrorists, while their attempt to regroup underscored their determination to sustain the attack before they were repelled by the troops.
In a related development, troops of Sector 1 arrested a suspected drug peddler, Yohana Musa, during a stop-and-search operation along the Kaduna–Birnin Gwari Road in Kaduna State on September 12.
The suspect was reportedly intercepted while travelling towards Birnin Gwari with a large quantity of illicit drugs, and both the suspect and the recovered exhibits have been taken into military custody for further investigation.
The Theatre Commander commended the troops for their gallantry and professionalism and urged residents to continue providing timely and credible intelligence to support ongoing security operations across the Joint Operations Area.