The president of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, reported this Wednesday the release of more than 300 people who had been kidnapped in the states of Kwara and Niger, in the east of the country, in what is considered the largest rescue operation carried out in a single day by Nigerian security forces.
According to a statement released by the special advisor for Information and Strategy of the head of State, Bayo Onanuga, "President Bola Ahmed Tinubu celebrates the successful rescue of 308 Nigerian citizens kidnapped in various attacks in the states of Niger and Kwara."
The official text details that the hostages were located and brought to safety in the Kainji Lake National Park, in the state of Niger, bordering Benin, "after a coordinated operation, based on intelligence information, carried out by the National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC, for its acronym in English), with the participation of personnel from the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the Department of State Services (DSS), and the Nigeria Police."
The note also includes the words of the president, who emphasizes the role of the security forces: "The successful execution of this intelligence operation demonstrates the growing efficiency and collaboration among our security services. I congratulate our brave men and women in uniform for their courage and their firm commitment to protecting the lives of Nigerians."
Still, and despite highlighting that this is "the largest rescue operation carried out in a single day by the joint security team," Tinubu warns in the official document about "the urgent need to strengthen national security infrastructure to prevent future incidents."
In this regard, the statement specifies that the president "has instructed security agencies and relevant stakeholders to immediately strengthen early warning mechanisms, improve intelligence gathering at the community level, and optimize rapid response capacity to avoid similar incidents across the country."
The Nigerian government faces, like other Sahel states, a scenario of serious insecurity dominated by the presence of jihadist groups and criminal networks that operate mainly in the north and obtain funding through kidnappings and extortion.
In this context, rescue operations are common, although few reach this scope, with exceptions such as the release of 360 people held by a faction of the jihadist group Boko Haram last June in an operation by the Nigerian Army.