Six women, nine children escape from Boko Haram in Yobe

Six women and nine children have escaped from Boko Haram captivity in Yobe State axis of Sambisa Forest.

The women, one of them expectant, were kidnapped on October 3, 2020 and May 5, 2021 in Chibok and Hong local councils of Borno and Adamawa states.

Handing over the escapees to Governor Babagana Zulum, yesterday, in Maiduguri, the Women Affairs Commissioner, Zuwaira Gambo, disclosed that four women between the ages of 20 and 25 had two children each, one woman had a child, while one was pregnant.

The women and their children reportedly trekked for six hours before security operatives on the south fringe of the forest rescued them.

Gambo disclosed: “The ones abducted at Takulashu village of Chibok are Maryam Ishaya with a child, Rachael Simon with two children, while Esther Ayuba and Alheri Ezekiel each have two children.”

She told the governor that the terrorists in Cofure village of Hong in Adamawa abducted Victoria Andrew and Victoria James, with two children each.

Boko Haram abducted 276 girls at Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, on April 14, 2014. Since then, about 50 per cent of them had regained freedom, while over 100 are still in captivity.

While receiving the women and children at the Musa Usman Secretariat, Maiduguri, the governor said the state government was doing everything possible to speed up the reintegration of all victims of Boko Haram into the society.

He said: “I am happy to receive you, my daughters, after your fervent prayers to escape from captivity. We also thank God for protecting and rescuing you from the hands of terrorists.”

Zulum assured them that they would be handed over to their respective families.

He added that security operatives would profile the over 8,000 surrendered Boko Haram terrorists, comprising the innocent ones who were conscripted, against their will, into the terror group.