Several young females were kidnapped by members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in Borno State’s Askira-Uba Local Government Area while they were tending to their farms.
Rt. Hon. Abdullahi Askira, the Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, confirmed the attack on Sunday, claiming that the rebels had abducted 13 youngsters from the nearby farming hamlet of Mussa district.
The victims, who are between the ages of 15 and 20, had gone to their Mussa property to gather crops when ISWAP fighters assaulted the fields, according to Askira, who represents the Askira-Uba constituency.
He said that the girls were among the people the government had earlier moved from Huyim to Mussa because of security concerns.
According to him, “the victims are among those relocated to a relatively peaceful community of Mussa to earn means of their livelihoods through joint community farming.”
One of the kidnapped girls made it out and was reunited with her family on Sunday morning, according to the deputy speaker.
Twelve more people are still being held captive by ISWAP, and it is still unclear where they are.
Askira bemoaned the state of affairs and called on the government to move quickly to prevent more tragedy.
Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South, responded to the event by denouncing the kidnapping and calling on security forces to step up rescue operations.
Ndume urged locals to maintain their vigilance, notify authorities promptly, and keep praying for the teenagers’ safe return.
