ABUJA: At least 47 women are missing after militants carried out a mass kidnapping in northeast Nigeria, anti-militant militia leaders said on Tuesday, AFP reported.
The incident, which occurred in Borno state, the epicenter of a long-standing insurgency, has been attributed to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). This insurgency has inflicted significant human suffering, resulting in more than 40,000 fatalities and displacing over two million people since its inception in 2009.
According to Shehu Mada, a prominent anti-militant militia leader, the abducted women were part of a group collecting firewood in Ngala, near the Cameroon border, when they were ambushed by ISWAP insurgents. While some managed to escape and return safely, a concerning number—47 women—remained unaccounted for after the attack.
Usman Hamza, another leader within the anti-militant militia, corroborated Mada’s account, confirming that the 47 women did not return following the insurgents’ assault.
Nigeria Police Confirm Kidnapping Incident
While the Borno State police confirmed the attack, they were unable to provide precise figures regarding the number of women kidnapped or still in captivity. Ali Bukar, an official at the Ngala Local Government Information Unit, reported receiving reports suggesting that the actual number of kidnapped women could be even higher.
The abduction underscores the pervasive issue of kidnapping in Nigeria, where criminal militias in the northwest and intercommunal violence in central states have compounded the security challenges facing the nation. In a similar incident last month, kidnappers captured over 35 women returning from a wedding in northwestern Katsina state.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu assumed office last year with promises to address the escalating insecurity in Nigeria. However, critics contend that the current state of violence suggests that the situation is spiraling out of control.
