About 277 women and children were rescued from Boko Haram and ISWAP controlled teritories in Borno State, North East Nigeria, following recent extensive military operations around Bama, Dikwa, and Monguno towns in the state.

On July 10, during a brief ceremony at the military barracks in Maiduguri, the state capital, the military handed over the people it had saved from danger to state government officials. 

Major General Ken Chigbu, Deputy Theatre Commander and a leading figure in Operation Hadin Kai, the ongoing joint military counterinsurgency operation, addressed the media at the handover. He explained that the rescues were part of two separate missions – Desert Sanity-3 and Lake Sanity-2 – aimed at dismantling terrorist enclaves in the desert and lake regions of Borno State.

He further revealed that 128 of the rescued were women and young ladies who identified as mothers to the 149 children found with them.

Major General Chigbu stated that during operations near the towns of Bama, Dikwa, and Monguno, our troops were able to free these women and children. The missions, he added, targeted areas where insurgents were known to hide, leading to the successful liberation of the captives.

According to Chigbu, the rescued women and children were victims of Boko Haram terrorism who were held against their will in the location where they were discovered. 

Most of the rescued women who came out with children whose ages ranged from six months to ten years old shared their traumatic experiences. 

Hadiza, a 21-year-old woman, recounted her abduction from Michika in Adamawa State at the tender age of 11. 

“It was ten years ago that I was taken to the bush after they attacked Michika. They later forced me to marry one of them, and I gave birth to these two children. They killed the man I was married to some months ago,” she revealed.  

“I had my family in Michika, but I don’t know if they are still there. My father died during the attack ten years ago, and I later learned that my mother also passed away.”

Another survivor, 19-year-old Maryam Abdullahi, spoke of her ordeal in Jangu, a hamlet near Bama. She was forced to stay behind when her community was overtaken by terrorists, and her family fled to the Pulka IDP camp. 

“Life was hellish for me out there in Jangu after I was held back. I was forced to marry one of them, who was an ordinary member, and he was recently killed,” she said. “I’m happy that I am out of that place now. I hope to reunite with my family members, especially my father, who I learned is now at the IDP camp in Pulka.”

Following the formal handover, the rescued women and children received hijabs and refreshments. They were then transported by military trucks to a government rehabilitation centre, where they received necessary care and support.

Zuwaira Gambo, Borno’s Commissioner for Women’s Affairs and Social Development, who received the victims on behalf of the Borno government, commended the military for their successful rescue operation.

“The rescued women and children will be brought to a specialised centre to receive various services such as mental health and psychosocial support, family tracing for reunification, livelihood programs, and other related services.

“Our objective is to offer comprehensive support to aid their recovery from the traumatic experiences and assist in their reintegration into their communities. We appreciate the military’s role in rescuing these women and children. Their courage and commitment have not only saved lives but also restored hope to families, ” she said. 

This latest rescue follows a similar operation over a month ago, where the military freed 350 people from insurgent groups in Borno State’s Sambisa Forest.