Troops of the Northeast Joint Task Force (JTF) under Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK) have rescued six Boko Haram abducted women and children in the Amuda-Gava axis in Gwoza Local Council Area of Borno state.

The insurgents attacked the Ngoshe border community with Cameroon on 3rd March 2026 and kidnapped about 416 residents, who are still in Boko Haram captivity for two months in the Mandara Mountains and Sambisa Forest.

The Media Information Officer of OPHK, Lt-Col. Sani Uba stated on Sunday in Maiduguri that the rescue operation, followed a sustained offensive and coordinated actions, including the recent air interdiction missions, targeting terrorist enclaves in the Mandara Mountains of the Gwoza council areas.

He said: “Acting on credible intelligence, troops of OPHK, while returning from a successful overnight offensive operation in the early hours of 1st May 2026, intercepted and rescued six women and children around Amuda, a deserted community located between Ngoshe and Gava known for what Uba described as, a terrorist transit activities in the Mandara Mountains.”

He said the rescued victims were identified by the Army as Mrs. Zainab Idris,18, Fatima Abubakar,17, Maimuna Abdulrashid ,24, Muhammad Idris, a minor, Sadiq Abdullahi, seven,, and Fatima Abdulrashid, five.

The Information Officer further revealed: “Preliminary debriefings also indicated that they were among the 416 esidents abducted during the terrorist attack on Ngoshe community on 3 March 2026 and had been held in captivity at a terrorist enclave in Gava before escaping.

He explained that during the rescue, troops came under sporadic enemy fire as the fleeing terrorists attempted to pursue the escapees.

The troops, however, responded decisively, by engaging them te in a brief exchange of fire, forcing the terrorists to withdraw into the Mandara Mountains that extend to Madagali Local Council in Adamawa state.

Regarding the successful rescue of the children and their mothers, Uba said, the successful rescue operation is also linked to intensified operational pressure on terrorist elements, which has significantly degraded their cohesion and heightened internal disarray.

He noted that intelligence has indicated that the terrorists are increasingly desperate and paranoid, following sustained losses and the escape of captives, including a 16-year-old girl who had been forcefully married to one of their commanders.

Following the rescue, he added that the victims were immediately administered first aid and medical checks at a military facility before being formally handed over to community authorities.

“At about 2:00 p.m of the same day, they were successfully reunited with their families through the Wali of Ngoshe, Alhaji Shuaibu Dabawa, in an emotional ceremony witnessed by community members,” said Uba.

The Armed Forces of Nigeria reassured the public of their unwavering commitment to securing all communities, rescuing abducted persons, and eliminating terrorist elements from all enclaves across the North East region of the country.

Troops’ morale and fighting efficiency remain high as operations continue with renewed vigour.

Members of the public are encouraged to continue providing timely and credible information to support the. ongoing military operations, in the security, peace and economic interest of the North East.

The Military High Command commended the troops for their impressive battle performance, urging them to sustain the aggressive operations to dominate the battle space