ABUJA, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- Nigerian President Bola Tinubu has confirmed that at least 308 people held captive for several months by suspected terrorists in the country's central region were rescued in an intelligence-led military operation.
In a statement issued late Wednesday, Tinubu hailed the operation as "successful." The victims were among hundreds abducted in separate attacks in the north-central states of Kwara and Niger between Feb. 3 and 4.
According to the statement, about 163 of the rescued victims were abducted from Woro Community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, while the remaining 145 were abducted in neighboring Niger State. They were rescued from the Kainji Lake National Park Forest in Niger State's New Bussa Local Government Area during a coordinated intelligence-led operation.
The Nigerian government said the mission was "the largest single-day rescue operation ever conducted by a joint security team," demonstrating the growing effectiveness and coordination of the country's security agencies.
Last month, a military operation secured the release of 44 pupils and teachers who had been held hostage in a forest in the southwestern state of Oyo for 56 days.
Nigeria has been confronted with a myriad of security challenges, including terrorism, kidnapping, banditry, armed militancy, the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, and farmer-herder conflicts. ■