In northeastern Nigeria, the militant group Boko Haram has freed more than 400 people who were abducted earlier this year from a village in Borno state, according to a local senator and a youth organisation leader on Sunday, June 7.
Samaila Kaigama, president of the Borno South Youth Alliance (Bosya), announced that 416 women and children taken from Ngoshe were released on Saturday. Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume of Borno state confirmed the release but said he was unaware of the specific circumstances surrounding the operation.
Bosya, which mediated between the kidnappers and the hostages’ families, provided no further details. There was no information on whether a ransom was paid or if security forces intervened.
Ngoshe: a regular target for attacks
Located less than 10 kilometres from the Cameroon border, Ngoshe lies in the Gwoza hills, an area considered a stronghold of Boko Haram and frequently hit by assaults. Since 2009, the insurgency led by Boko Haram and later by its rival faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap), has caused tens of thousands of deaths and displaced millions across northeastern Nigeria.
