Over 100 individuals are unaccounted for following a large-scale kidnapping by jihadists in northeast Nigeria, targeting women and children from displacement camps, according to officials speaking to media on Thursday.
The incident, which occurred last week in Borno state, the epicenter of a long-standing jihadist insurgency causing over 40,000 casualties and displacing two million people since 2009, is attributed by anti-jihadist militia leaders to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
Details surrounding the attack in rural Ngala remain uncertain, with conflicting accounts from officials. The reported number of missing persons may not accurately represent those held in captivity.
The UN’s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported that the abduction took place on Thursday last week, estimating over 200 individuals from displacement camps had been kidnapped. The attackers seized women gathering firewood.
While condemning the reported abduction, the UN stated, “The exact number of people abducted remains unknown but is estimated at over 200 people.” OCHA clarified that the figure is based on initial estimates from community leaders, and headcounts are underway in four displacement camps housing almost 104,000 individuals, predominantly women and children, to verify the number.
Ngala Local Government Information Unit officer, Ali Bukar, confirmed 113 missing individuals based on family reports.
Anti-jihadist militia leader Shehu Mada recounted that ISWAP insurgents had rounded up women from displacement camps on Friday, and a headcount revealed that 47 women from the wood-collecting mission were unaccounted for.
Usman Hamza, another anti-jihadist militia leader, corroborated the account. Borno State police spokesman Nahum Daso Kenneth acknowledged an attack on Friday around 4 pm (1500 GMT) but couldn’t provide a precise figure for the kidnapped.
Kidnapping is a pervasive issue in Nigeria, compounded by criminal militias in the northwest and escalating intercommunal violence in central states. In the preceding month, kidnappers targeted at least 35 women returning from a wedding in northwestern Katsina state.
Despite President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s pledge to address insecurity, critics argue that violence in Nigeria remains uncontrollable.
