SSS rescues remaining abducted Zamfara polytechnic students

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The State Security Service (SSS) has rescued the four remaining students of the Federal Polytechnic, Kaura Namoda, who were abducted by suspected armed bandits in Zamfara State.

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The security agency said the students were freed during a coordinated, intelligence-led operation conducted without paying a ransom.

The SSS said one suspected member of the kidnapping gang was arrested during the operation, while others were “neutralised”, according to a report by the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) on Thursday.

The term “neutralised” is commonly used by Nigerian security agencies to indicate that suspects were killed during an operation.

The agency did not disclose the location or precise date of the rescue. It also did not identify the arrested suspect, state how many suspected kidnappers were killed or provide details about the condition of the rescued students.

Seven-week ordeal

The students were abducted during an attack that began on the night of 2 June and continued into the early hours of 3 June.

Armed men invaded a rented off-campus residence in the Low-Cost area of Kaura Namoda and initially seized seven students.

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The Zamfara State Police Command said at the time that one of the students escaped while the attackers were taking them away, leaving six in captivity.

Security forces, including troops of Operation Fansan Yamma, were subsequently involved in response efforts in the area.

Two of the six students later regained their freedom, although the circumstances and timing of their release were not publicly disclosed.

The latest rescue means all seven students taken during the attack are now free. The four rescued by the SSS spent about seven weeks in captivity.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported that the abduction heightened concerns among residents and members of the polytechnic community over repeated attacks in Kaura Namoda and surrounding communities.

At the time of the abduction, a local group, Concerned Citizens of Kaura Namoda, raised concerns about the activities of bandit leader Kachalla Bello Dansadiya and his gang in the area.

The group also noted that two senior lecturers at the polytechnic had already spent more than two months in captivity despite reported ransom payments by their families and associates.

It cited the abductions of other residents, including an elderly district head and relatives of a paramilitary officer, as further evidence of the deteriorating security situation in the area.

National Assembly intervention

The students’ abduction was among a series of attacks that prompted the House of Representatives to summon Nigeria’s service chiefs and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, in June.

During deliberations, lawmakers described insecurity in Zamfara and other parts of the North-west as a growing humanitarian and national security crisis.

They specifically cited the abduction of the Federal Polytechnic students and called for additional personnel and operational equipment to be deployed to affected states.

The House also urged the government to strengthen intelligence gathering, surveillance, and other technology-supported security measures while addressing the economic and social conditions that enable armed groups to operate across the region.

Recent SSS operations

The Kaura Namoda operation came days after the SSS announced the rescue of Samuel Okunsebor, dean of the Faculty of Agriculture at Nasarawa State University, Keffi.

Mr Okunsebor, a professor, was abducted from Mile Uku, a community between Lafia and Nasarawa Eggon local government areas.

He was subsequently rescued and handed over to his family, while two suspected participants in his abduction were taken into custody.

The SSS described the latest operation as part of its continuing efforts against kidnapping and other security threats across the country.