12 of 416 Borno Captives Escape From Boko Haram Terrorists

Twelve of the 416 residents abducted from Ngoshe in Gwoza local government area of Borno State have escaped Boko Haram captivity, security sources have confirmed.

The escapees, mostly women, fled their captors in Sambisa Forest and trekked for days before coming in contact with military troops in Gwoza.

LEADERSHIP recalls that Boko Haram terrorists attacked Ngoshe over two months ago, killed unspecified number of people, and abducted 416 residents, displacing thousands of people.

The Borno South Youth Alliance has been in communication with the press and serves as an intermediary between the terrorist group and the affected victims.

The president of the Borno South Youth Alliance, Samaila Kaigama, shared the video of the escaped captives and a brief statement.

In the statement, Kaigama wrote “Borno South Youth Alliance (BOSYA) is pleased to announce that the following women and children who were previously held in Ngoshe captivity have reportedly escaped and are now safe in a nearby town.”

He identified the escaped victims to include ten females and two males.

Their identities according to him, include “Aisha Audu – 20 years, Hajara Audu – 18 months, Aisha Idrisa – 17 years, Hafsat Idrisa – 4 months,  Aisha Abubakar Bama – 22 years, Maryam Umar – 11 months, Zainabu Umar Mbasuwa – 22 years,

Others are Salma Abubakar – 2 months,  Musa Umar – 7 years, Suleiman Umar – 9 years, Aisha Abubakar – 17 years, Aisha Musa – 10 years

“While we are grateful for this development, we must state clearly that a larger number of victims are still believed to remain in captivity”, he added.

The group, however, stressed that the exact location where they escaped to is being withheld for security reasons.

On April 20, a faction of Boko Haram terrorists, identified as Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidwatu Wal-Jihad under Imam Abu released a video daring the Nigerian government to attempt a forceful rescue of 416 abducted victims in Borno State.

This is as it also warned that if their demands are not met within 72 hours, the victims will be taken to different locations where they may never be seen again.