Boko Haram Frees 416 Abducted Women, Children In Borno

Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have released 416 women and children abducted from the Ngoshe community in the Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.

The development was confirmed on Sunday by the President of the Borno South Youth Alliance (BOSYA), Samaila Kaigama, who said the captives regained their freedom on June 6 following sustained engagement and advocacy efforts by the group.

Speaking with journalists, Kaigama said BOSYA played a key role in facilitating discussions that led to the release of the victims.

“We have secured the release of all the 416 women and children abducted from Ngoshe. They were released on June 6,” he said.

“We are delighted and thankful that our persistent efforts, continuous appeals, and extensive discussions have yielded positive results.”

Kaigama urged the federal government, the Borno State Government, and relevant local authorities to conduct proper screening and profiling of the released captives to ensure their welfare and security.

BOSYA had previously served as an intermediary between the abductors and the affected families. In April, the group disclosed that it had maintained communication with the insurgents after the victims were displayed in captivity.

The abduction followed a Boko Haram attack on March 4, during which insurgents reportedly overran a military base in Ngoshe, set operational vehicles ablaze, forced security personnel to retreat, killed an unspecified number of people, and abducted scores of residents.

Efforts to obtain official confirmation from the Borno State Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, were unsuccessful, as calls made to his phone were not answered at the time of filing this report.