The terrorist group Boko Haram has freed over 400 people who were abducted earlier this year from a village in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, a local senator and a youth organisation official confirmed on Sunday, June 7.
Samaila Kaigama, head of the Borno South Youth Alliance (Bosya), said 416 women and children taken from Ngoshe were released on Saturday. Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume of Borno State corroborated the release but stated he was unaware of the exact circumstances surrounding the operation.
Bosya, which mediated between the kidnappers and the hostages’ families, provided no further details. No information was given on whether a ransom was paid or if security forces intervened.
An area regularly targeted by attacks
Ngoshe, located less than 10 kilometres from the Cameroon border, lies in the Gwoza hills—a region considered a Boko Haram stronghold and frequently hit by assaults. Since 2009, the insurgency led by Boko Haram and later by its West African rival ISWAP has caused tens of thousands of deaths and displaced millions in northeastern Nigeria.
More Stories
Mounting pressure on two-wheeled commerce reflects Burkina Faso’s economic control
Chad and Algeria launch 40-megawatt solidarity power plant project in N’Djamena
Sorbonne Université and CHIC Bénin forge medical excellence alliance