15 escape from captivity by Boko Haram
LAGOS, Nigeria – Six women and nine children abducted by Nigeria’s Boko Haram extremist rebels in the country’s troubled northeast escaped after months in captivity, according to a Borno state official.
The 15 former hostages met with Borno Governor Babagana Zulum in the state’s capital, Maiduguri.
“Today is one of our happiest moments for us to see these young girls and women that were abducted by the insurgents,” Zulum said Monday, attributing their freedom to “prayers and ongoing reconciliation and reintegration programs” in Borno state.
Zulum said he is hoping for “absolute peace” that would bring an end to the 10-year-old extremist insurgency in which thousands died and many others were kidnapped.
The 15 women and children were abducted in two incidents in October 2020 and May this year when the extremists attacked their villages in Borno and Adamawa states, both of which have been badly affected by the extremist violence, said Zuwaira Gambo, the commissioner for women affairs in Borno state.