Troops of the Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have rescued 48 abducted villagers after repelling a terrorist attack on Magami village in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State.

According to a report by Punch, the rescue operation followed a distress call received in the early hours of Saturday, alerting security forces that dozens of heavily armed terrorists had invaded the community.

In a statement issued on Sunday by the Media Information Officer of Operation FANSAN YAMMA, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, the military said the attackers, travelling on about 40 motorcycles, rounded up several residents with the intention of taking them into the bush.

The statement said troops from Sector 2 responded swiftly and engaged the terrorists in a fierce gun battle immediately on arrival at the scene.

The attackers were forced to flee into the surrounding bush, abandoning all 48 kidnapped victims, who were successfully rescued by the troops.

Despite the successful operation, the military confirmed that one civilian was killed during the attack, while two others sustained gunshot wounds. The injured victims were evacuated to the General Hospital in Kaura Namoda for treatment.

Following the rescue, troops carried out aggressive patrols across the area to prevent further attacks and pursue the fleeing terrorists.

The Theatre Command praised the troops for their professionalism and bravery, reaffirming its commitment to protecting lives and property across the North West. It also urged residents to continue providing timely and credible intelligence to security agencies to support ongoing operations against terrorist groups.

Zamfara remains one of Nigeria’s worst-hit states by banditry and mass kidnappings, with armed groups frequently attacking rural communities despite sustained military offensives. Operation FANSAN YAMMA is one of the military’s joint security operations aimed at tackling terrorism, banditry and other violent crimes across the region.