Terrorists abduct scores of female IDPs in Borno

• They left camp in search of firewood – Community leader

• ‘Only 4 of 117 returned so far’

• Military, Borno govt mum

Terrorists have abducted over 100 female Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Ngala, the headquarters of Gamboru Ngala Local Government Area of Borno State, locals, community leaders and security sources said.

The sources said the women left their camps in search of firewood in the bush around Jillam and Wurga villages about 15 kilometres from the town when the tragedy struck.

It was gathered that the incident happened on Sunday, March 3, 2024, but only came to the fore yesterday.

Both Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have been carrying out heinous acts in the northern and central parts of Borno for years, and it is not yet clear which of the faction is behind the latest incident.

This is one of the major abductions that took place in Borno, since the kidnapping of 276 girls of Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, on the night of April 14, 2014.

Up till date, dozens of the Chibok girls are yet to return. This is in addition to hundreds of others whose plight did not attract national and global attention even as their immediate families are still living in pain.

The Ngala incident

Ngala, one of the hard to reach locations in Borno, is 147 kilometres away from Maiduguri, the state capital, and shares borders with the Republic of Cameroon.

Communication tends to be erratic in the area as a result of years of activities of terrorists, hence the delay in getting details of Sunday’s mass abduction.

Even though there were conflicting accounts as to the actual number of the women abducted, at least two sources who spoke to our correspondent said 117 women left three IDP camps in the town but only four of them returned.

The victims moved the camps after they were displaced from the villages of Bula Budoy, Gillam, Wofiyo, Daala, Abbari, Ladari, Jarawaji, Karamawaji, Manawaji and Garal.

A security source, who confided in Daily Trust confirmed the abduction but argued that the number of the IDPs abducted is not up to 319 as stated by some locals.

“What we heard is that around 113 women are missing,” he said.

A source from the Babban Sansani IDP camp, told the Daily Trust that the incident happened when the women went to fetch firewood in the bush for home use and commercial purposes.

“They were surrounded by the insurgents in Bula kunte bush, located in the western part of Ngala town.  They released the old-aged and entered the bush with young girls and some young boys.

“But, three of the girls who escaped and returned to Ngala said the boys (insurgents) took them to a bush close to Bukar-mairam village in the Republic of Chad, which is on the other side of the local government headquarters.

“They escaped in the dead of the night after the insurgents fell asleep, trekking for two days before they arrived in Ngala.

“Most of the IDPs girls abducted were from Babban Sansani Camp, and the rest from Zulum Camp and Arabic Camp.

“And, they all went to the bush to fetch firewood for sale, because the food we are getting from the camp is not enough to feed us. Life is so difficult here,” he said.

A traditional ruler in the area, who pleaded for anonymity, said, “The first information I got was that there were over 319, but most of the women returned and they now counted over 47 missing.

“I don’t know whether it is a coincidence, but a day before these ladies were abducted, about 45 wives of the suspected Boko Haram members returned, and they were profiled by security operatives, and suddenly this happened,” he said.

He said the abduction had stirred serious panic in the town, with people calling on the government to intervene and secure the release of the women.

When contacted, the Acting Deputy Director, Army Public Relations of 7 Division, Maiduguri, Lieutenant Colonel, A Y Jingina, said he should be given time to contact their operatives in Ngala.

“Seriously, as it is now, officially I have not received any information regarding any incident in Gamboru Ngala, but I am trying to make some calls to the people there to find out what exactly happened. If it is true, I would let you know,” he said.

Several efforts last night to get official reaction from the military high command in Abuja proved abortive.

Calls to the mobile phone of the Director, Defence Media Operations, Edward Buba, a Major-General, rang unanswered.

In the same vein, the spokesman of the Nigerian Army, Onyema Nwachukwu, also a Major-General did not answer his calls when reached last night.

The duo were yet to respond to separate text messages sent to their respective mobile phones as at when filing this report at about 9:30pm.

Similarly, efforts to speak to the Special Adviser to Borno State governor on Security Matters, Brig-Gen Ishak Abdullahi (Rted) proved abortive as his telephone lines were not going through and did not respond to the text message sent to him.

Also contacted, Baba Sheikh, who is the Senior Special Assistant to Governor Babagana Zulum on Media, said he was not aware of the incident.

He, however, said he will try to verify from relevant quarters.

Living in danger

Another source from the security circle said they have been warning the IDPs against going to some areas in the bush for fear of attacks or abductions.

“We always warn them to stay within safe areas, but it is the economic pressure that forces most of them to go, they have no means of livelihood other than cutting off trees for sale.

“A small measure of corn flour is sold at N2, 200 now, where can they get the money to buy? We can’t stop them if we can’t feed them,” he said.

There are hundreds of people in the three camps in Ngala where families dislodged by the insurgency are living.

It was learnt that among the abducted were widows whose husbands were killed by the terrorists.

Another security source said even though Nigerian security forces are doing their best, the result of which is the reduction of attacks on vulnerable communities, a new security threat is gradually emerging along Nigeria’s vast borders with neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, especially around Borno and Yobe states.

“The political crisis in Chad and Niger is not helping matters at all…Nigeria is being affected directly,” the military source said.

“Collaboration has reduced significantly and non-state actors are upping their games along the borders.

“They abduct people with ease and take them to the Tunbus (islands) in the Lake Chad region. They also cross the borders with the victims when they feel threatened.

“The gains recorded in the past years were as a result of the activities of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF),” he said.