At least five kidnapped victims have escaped captivity after an airstrike by the Air Component of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, under the Northwest Operation FARAUTAR MUJIYA, hit bandit hideouts near Babare Hills in Katsina State.

Security expert Zagazola Makama, in a post via X on Monday, revealed that the victims—Musa Umar (45), Alhaji Hassan Dando (47), Saminu Ali (35), Yasir Salisu (15), and Muhammad Buhari (17)—were held by bandits after being kidnapped from Jibia’s Bachaka quarters and Lankwasau village in early October.

The victims escaped in the early hours of Sunday during an air interdiction by the Nigerian military as part of its intensified war against banditry in the northwest.

One of the freed victims, Musa Umar, told the security expert that the airstrikes struck the bandits’ enclave, leading to significant casualties among the bandits.

This enabled five of the captives to break free from their chains and flee the area.

Four of the victims sought help at an army Forward Operating Base in Faru and were later transferred to the Jibia Army Camp.

However, about 30 people are still captive at Babare Hills, with chains still preventing their escape.

Nigerian Air Force neutralizes terrorists, frees kidnapped victims in Katsina