Nigeria's military says troops of Operation FANSAN YAMMA rescued 41 travellers, including 10 women and seven children, after armed men ambushed their broken-down bus in Tsafe area of Zamfara State (a north-western state plagued by armed gangs known locally as bandits). The vehicle, reportedly travelling from Senegal to Kano, was stranded when the gunmen tried to march the passengers away, but soldiers responding to intelligence forced them to flee into farmland; the military says all were freed unharmed. The account could not be independently verified, and no details were given on casualties among the attackers or arrests, but the incident highlights the persistent danger of kidnapping on Nigeria's highways.