The Kaduna State Police Command has rescued 75 people who were abducted by gunmen in Birnin Gwari local government area of the state.

The victims, comprising Fulani men, women, and children, were reportedly travelling in commercial buses when they were attacked at Folwaya village, near Birnin Gwari.

The Command, in a statement issued Friday by its spokesman, DSP Mansir Hassan, stated that the incident occurred at about 5:30pm on Wednesday.

It added that the victims were abducted by armed men wielding AK-47 rifles and other sophisticated weapons and were taken into a forest where they were kept in a cave within a mountainous area.

According to the statement, the police received information about the incident from the Birnin Gwari branch of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW).

The statement further stated that a team of police operatives from the Birnin Gwari Area Command was immediately deployed to the area.

“The abductors, upon sighting the well-armed police operatives, fled, abandoning their captives, who were successfully rescued unharmed,” the statement read in part.

The Commissioner of Police, Kaduna state Command, CP Rabiu Muhammad, commended the NURTW branch for providing timely information that enabled the police to respond swiftly.

He also praised the Area Commander, Birnin Gwari, and his operatives for their prompt and professional response.

The CP urged residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious movements and activities to the police.

He also cautioned members of the public against taking the law into their own hands, warning that such actions could result in the loss of innocent lives.