Nigeria: Army frees 33 hostages kidnapped in Zamfara State

Nigerian soldiers rescued 33 people who had been kidnapped on Saturday in the northwestern part of the country, in the Tsafe area of ​​Zamfara province. The kidnappers fled after coming under military fire.

The Nigerian army announced it had intercepted a group of armed kidnappers as they were moving their hostages to an unknown location. Troops, mobilized jointly with the police as soon as the kidnapping was reported Saturday afternoon, opened fire on the assailants, who abandoned their victims and fled into the surrounding bush.

Army spokesman Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja confirmed that the 33 hostages had been recovered "without any casualties." He added that the military was still searching for the kidnappers and urged the local population to remain vigilant and provide any useful information to the security forces.

Kidnappings for ransom are frequent in northwestern Nigeria. Analysts believe that payments made by desperate families, intermediaries, or, in some cases, by the Nigerian authorities themselves, fuel this phenomenon. Major highways have become prime targets for these armed groups.

This operation is part of a series of recent successes by Nigerian security forces. On Thursday, the presidency announced the release of more than 300 people abducted in separate attacks, including 163 victims of a February raid on the communities of Woro and Nuku in Kwara State, where dozens were killed, and at least 145 others abducted in Niger State. A few weeks earlier, 44 students and teachers kidnapped in an attack on a school in Oyo State were released after more than 50 days in captivity.

President Bola Tinubu announced on Wednesday a pay increase of up to 80 percent for lower-ranking soldiers, as a sign of "deep appreciation" for those confronting the country's security threats. Persistent insecurity, fueled by banditry, kidnappings, and violence from armed groups, including Islamist militants, has become a central political issue in the lead-up to the 2027 elections.