Posted by The two daughters of Honorable Aminu Ardo, a member of the Zamfara State House of Assembly, were rescued by the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) after being abducted for 17 months.
Deputy Force PRO, CSP Isuku Victor, claimed that the recovery of the children—Maryam, 10, and Nana Asma’u, 8—followed a joint operation of security agencies, with the National Security Adviser’s cooperation, while presenting the children to their father at the Force headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday.
The youngsters, together with their mother and other siblings, were abducted, according to the police. Fortunately, the mother managed to flee with the other children, leaving only Maryam and Nana.
He claims that in November 2022, a violent incident disrupted the peaceful village of Jangebe in the Talata Mafara local government area of Zamfara State, altering the course of one family’s life irrevocably.
Honorable Aminu Ardo, a lawmaker from Zamfara State, was the victim of an invasion of his home by armed bandits escorted by more than sixty motorcycles.
They kidnapped Hauwa’u, his wife, and their four small children—Maryam, Nana Asma’u, Ummul Khairi, and Abdulrazaq—in a savage act of terror. After a terrifying trek on foot and motorbike, the kidnapped children were led to an unknown woodland in Katsina State.
While in captivity, they were given very little food, consisting only of corn and salt, and were forced to sip water from a nearby creek.
Tragically, the newborn did not survive after Hauwa’u gave birth in prison under extremely severe conditions. The insufferable conditions did not weaken Hauwa’u’s resolve or fortitude.
Ummul Khairi and Abdulrazaq, her two children, were able to free themselves from their chains and flee with her one night in the rainy season of 2023. But their kidnappers failed to rescue Maryam and Nana Asma’u, who remained behind.
Further, the police stated that security reforms have received a strong emphasis under President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda, with the goal of making the country’s security architecture more effective and responsive.