One Hundred and Twenty-Eight (128) rescued kidnapped victims were handed over to the government of Zamfara on Tuesday by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).

Some of the victims, it was gathered, were rescued from bandits’ camps in Kaura Namoda Local Government Area of Zamfara State to the state government, where others were released by the under-fire leader of one of the bandit’s group, Bello Turji.

It would be recalled that Turji, who is currently under fire with intense military and Department of State Security (DSS) watch and attack, had earlier released about 42 of his victims to the federal government, while a second batch of released victims was also said to have taken place recently.

The National Coordinator, National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Maj. Gen. Adamu Laka, disclosed this while presenting the victims to the NSA, Nuhu Ribadu, in Abuja on Tuesday.

Laka explained that the victims were freed during coordinated security operations carried out in two phases earlier in August.

According to him, the first group of 42 victims, comprising 14 males, 27 females, and a toddler, were rescued on August 14, while a second group, comprising 88 individuals, including 34 males and 54 females, was freed on August 19.

He however regretted that one of the rescued victims died due to fatigue and illness, while one of the pregnant women among the victims gave birth while in the hands of the federal government rescuers.

“Unfortunately, among the second group, we lost one of the children due to illness, likely from the fatigue they suffered while in captivity.

“In addition, one of the women gave birth prematurely after the rescue, and the baby is currently receiving medical attention,” Laka added.

“With their recovery process ongoing, we are now handing them over to the Zamfara State Government for reintegration with their families and communities,” Laka added.

The kidnapping of 128 victims and their release in Zamfara State is part of a larger and more complex security crisis in Nigeria’s North West, which has persisted for over a decade. Criminal armed groups, locally known as “bandits,” have terrorized the region by engaging in cattle rustling, extortion, and mass abductions for ransom.