Over 300 Hostages Rescued in Nigerian Security Forces Operation

Nigerian security forces have successfully rescued 308 abducted individuals in what the government on Wednesday (August 5) described as the largest single-day hostage rescue operation in the country's history.

Among those rescued, 163 people had been abducted in February of this year from Oro village in the western state of Kwara, an attack that left more than 150 people dead.

The remaining 145 individuals had been kidnapped from various areas in Niger State.

The government stated that the victims were rescued from the forested areas of the Kainji Lake National Park.

The operation was jointly conducted by the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, the military, intelligence agencies, and the police.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu expressed satisfaction with the success of the rescue operation, stating that the coordinated efforts of the security forces made it possible to bring back hundreds of citizens alive.

Kidnapping for ransom has long posed a major security crisis in northern and central Nigeria, with armed groups utilizing dense, remote forests as hideouts.

Meanwhile, just last week, gunmen abducted 52 people, including children, in Zamfara State in the country's northwest.
Sources: France 24 and AFP