Troops of Operation Fansan Yamma (OPFY) have recorded another major breakthrough after they neutralized five suspected terrorists and rescued 11 kidnapped victims during a fierce gun battle along the Gambada–Gummi–Sokoto road corridor in Zamfara State.
Consequently, security analysts covering the North-West have described the operation as one of the more decisive strikes against armed banditry along the corridor in recent weeks. The troops carried out the mission at about 4:30 p.m. on July 22, while they conducted a routine offensive patrol and clearance operation. During this exercise, they encountered a group of heavily armed terrorists operating along the highway.
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As a result, an intense exchange of gunfire followed. Troops killed five terrorists outright, while several others fled into the nearby bushes as sustained military pressure closed in on them. Meanwhile, in the course of their retreat, the fleeing suspects abandoned 11 kidnapped victims, whom the troops then rescued unharmed. Furthermore, security forces recovered a motorcycle that the attackers had reportedly used to carry out their operations along the corridor.
Afterward, troops evacuated the rescued victims to a secure location, where medical personnel attended to them and officials carried out an initial debriefing. In addition, troops have continued to mount aggressive pursuit operations across the area, as they work to track down the fleeing terrorists and tighten security along vulnerable routes in the North-West.
Notably, this rescue forms part of a broader wave of successes that OPFY troops have recorded in Sokoto and Zamfara States over the same week. According to a statement by the Media Information Officer of OPFY, Lieutenant Colonel Aliyu Danja, troops of Combat Team 12 also responded a day earlier, on July 21, to a distress call along the Gummi–Sokoto road, where terrorists had blocked the highway in an attempt to abduct commuters. The Theatre Command later confirmed that the troops “engaged and pursued the attackers,” rescuing 11 kidnapped persons and recovering a motorcycle in that separate incident.
In a similar vein, troops from the Forward Operating Bases in Shagari and Sifawa acted on credible intelligence on July 20 and moved swiftly to the Wanke and Kaura communities in Sokoto State’s Shagari Local Government Area. There, they engaged terrorists and forced them to flee, rescuing six additional kidnap victims and recovering livestock along with two motorcycles. Separately, troops working with the Sokoto State Community Guard Corps rescued ten more victims who had escaped their abductors and were found wandering in the bush near Badanma community.
Altogether, these combined operations have brought the total number of rescued victims across the two states to well over two dozen within a single week. Consequently, the Theatre Command has commended the troops for their vigilance, professionalism, and swift response in securing the victims’ safe recovery. It has also appreciated members of the public who supplied credible intelligence that made several of the interventions possible.
Given this pattern, the latest success along the Gambada–Gummi–Sokoto corridor highlights the military’s sustained campaign to combat terrorism, rescue kidnapped victims, and restore peace across Zamfara State. Indeed, troops have repeatedly disrupted highway abductions in the region, a tactic that armed groups have increasingly relied on to seize commuters for ransom.
Looking ahead, the Theatre Command has urged residents across Sokoto and Zamfara to remain vigilant and to continue cooperating with security agencies. Officials maintain that timely information from local communities has directly enabled troops to intercept several abduction attempts before they escalated. As operations continue, the military says it will keep reinforcing patrols along known flashpoints, including the Gummi–Sokoto highway, in order to deny terrorist groups the freedom to operate.
For now, though, the rescued victims are receiving care and reuniting with their families, while troops press on with pursuit operations aimed at capturing the terrorists who escaped into the bush during the July 22 firefight.
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