Security Forces Kill 600 Bandits, Rescue 2,000 Captives in Zamfara

(Troops of Sector. Photo Credit: Vanguard News)
Security forces have k!lled 600 b@ndits and freed 2,000 people held captive during 45 major anti-b@nditry operations over the past year in Zamfara State.

The operations also led to the recovery of more than 3,500 cattle and 277 sheep that had been stolen, which were returned to their owners through government coordination.

The state police command revealed that over 30,000 people who had fled their homes returned to their communities during this period, including residents of several villages in the region.

The announcement came in response to a report from an online intelligence platform that claimed only four anti-kidn@pping operations had taken place between July 2025 and June 2026.

The police rejected this figure, saying their own records documented 45 major operations across the state during the same timeframe.

The operations involved police tactical units, the Violence Crime Response Unit, military personnel, and community protection groups working together.

A police spokesperson said the security forces acknowledged the ongoing threat posed by b@ndits and kidn@ppers in the state but stressed that the reported figure did not accurately represent the scale of security efforts being carried out on the ground.