National Security Adviser (NSA), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, on Tuesday vowed that the Federal Government would sustain its onslaught against terrorists and kidnappers until they were completely defeated.
Ribadu gave the assurance in Abuja while handing over 128 victims rescued from kidnappers in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara.
”There will be no respite in our operations. There will be no safe haven for those who terrorise our citizens. We will hunt, find, and bring them to justice,” he said.
The NSA described the latest rescue as “a victory for the Nigerian people and a crushing blow to the networks of terror that sought to undermine peace in the country.
He commended the Armed Forces, Police, intelligence agencies and other operatives, saying: “Your commitment is a testament to our renewed national security strategy.”
Ribadu also cautioned against politicising the plight of victims, saying the pain of victims should never be turned into a tool for partisan gain.
He called on religious and political leaders, civil society and community influencers to rise above division and work together in the spirit of unity and compassion.
Earlier, the National Coordinator, National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, said the victims were rescued in two batches after coordinated security operations.
He explained that the first batch, rescued on Aug. 14, comprised 42 individuals; 40 males, seven females and a toddler, while the second batch, rescued on Aug. 19, comprised of 34 males and 54 females.
“Unfortunately, among the second batch, we lost one of the children due to illness and the fatigue he suffered while in the kidnappers’ camp,” he said.
Laka added that one of the rescued women gave birth prematurely, with the child currently in an incubator at a medical facility.
He said all the victims had been under the care of the ONSA for medical treatment, psychological support and rehabilitation before the formal handover.
The Minister of State for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Tanko Sununu, commended the efforts of the government and security agencies in rescuing the victims.
Sununu however, advised the freed victims to see their freedom as opportunity to strive for their future, urging them to embrace education.
He reminded them that those that rescued them were able to do so because of the level of education they had acquired.
One of the victims, Abdullahi Salisu, said that some of them were in captivity for 42 days while some spent longer time.
He said they were kept without food until their rescue and thanked God almighty and the government for their rescue.
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