At least 360 pipo wey Boko Haram jihadists bin kidnap from one mainly Muslim community for Borno state for March don release from one remote mountain hideout. Di circumstances of how dem free dem dey disputed. Di army say dem launch one unprecedented intelligence-led operation wey dem bin dey plan for weeks and e take di Islamist militants by surprise.
But one local group, di Borno South Youth Initiative, say na dem mediate di unconditional release and dem put di number of pipo wey dem free at 416. Mass abduction by armed groups for ransom don become common tactic for Nigeria for recent years. Though e dey illegal to pay ransom, e still dey happen.
Boko Haram famously kidnap more dan 200 schoolgirls from di village of Chibok for 2014. Around 90 of dem still dey missing. For dat time, di group force dia captives into sexual slavery, domestic servitude, or use dem as suicide bombers. But now, different groups across Nigeria dey use kidnapping to raise funds, focusing on soft targets like schools, churches, mosques, and remote villages.
Analysts say ransom payments by desperate families, intermediaries, or sometimes state authorities don fuel di abductions. Military spokesperson Lt-Col Haruna M Sani describe di assault on Boko Haram’s Mandara mountain hideout “under cover of darkness” as one of di military’s “most significant hostage rescue operations” for di north-east.
“Faced with di speed, precision, and overwhelming combat power of di advancing troops, several insurgents abandon dia positions and flee into surrounding mountainous terrain, while others surrender,” e say for one statement. Di authorities say di hostages dey receive medical care.
“Sadly, two infants die due to exhaustion from prolonged captivity and harsh terrain,” Daniel Bwala, one special adviser to President Bola Tinubu, post for X. E say di government, wey don dey face fierce criticism for di widespread insecurity across Nigeria, commend di troops.
Di captives come from around Ngoshe, one mainly Muslim community near di border with Cameroon. For early March, di area come under attack from Boko Haram fighters as pipo dey break dia Ramadan fast. Samaila Kaigama, president of di Borno South Youth Alliance (Bosaya), tell journalists say im group bin dey advocate for dia release and dem bin dey in contact with di militants.
For one video wey e post for Facebook, e hit out at “government boys” wey e say dey “claim glory for our efforts.” On Sunday morning, di military release videos and photos of di freed captives as dem sit under trees overnight. Several news outlets get video of one local government official wey tell dem say di authorities dey do dia best to secure di area so dem fit go home to dia farms.
E also explain say dem think some of those wey dem capture escape into Cameroon and efforts dey on to bring dem back safe. Boko Haram begin dia military campaign to impose Islamic rule for northern Nigeria for 2009. E no longer control di huge areas wey e once get, but e and oda splinter groups still active and dangerous.
Earlier dis year, one small contingent of US soldiers deploy to Nigeria to train di West African nation’s armed forces and help dem with intelligence for dia battle against growing security threats. Dese threats dey complex and overlapping, including di Islamist insurgency, kidnapping gangs, clashes over land, and separatist unrest.
Last month, Nigeria and di US say dem kill one senior Islamic State (IS) leader for one joint-operation for African continent.
