Troops rescue six abducted women, children in Borno

By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri
Troops of the Joint Task Force (North East), Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK), have rescued six women and children abducted by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists in Ngoshe village, Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.

The rescue was disclosed in a statement on Friday night signed by the Media Information Officer, Headquarters Joint Task Force North East, OPHK, Lt. Col. Sani Uba.

According to the statement, the victims were rescued during a coordinated operation following sustained offensive actions, including air interdiction missions targeting terrorist hideouts in the Mandara Mountains.

It explained that acting on credible intelligence, troops, while returning from a successful overnight offensive operation in the early hours of May 1, 2026, intercepted and rescued the victims around Amuda, a deserted area between Ngoshe and Gava known for terrorist movement.

The rescued persons were identified as Zainab Idris (18), Fatima Abubakar (17), Maimuna Abdulrashid (24), Muhammad Idris (1), Sadiq Abdullahi (7), and Fatima Abdulrashid (5).

Preliminary debriefing, according to the statement, showed that the victims were among residents abducted during an attack on Ngoshe community on March 3, 2026, and had been held in captivity in a terrorist enclave in Gava before managing to escape.

It added that troops came under sporadic fire during the rescue as fleeing terrorists attempted to pursue the escapees, but responded swiftly, engaging them in a brief exchange of fire and forcing them to withdraw into the mountains.

The statement further noted that intensified military pressure has weakened terrorist cohesion and increased internal disarray within their ranks, leading to desperation and escape attempts by captives.
It also revealed that among earlier escapees was a 16-year-old girl allegedly forced into marriage by a terrorist commander.

After the rescue, the victims were given first aid and medical attention at a military facility before being handed over to community leaders. They were later reunited with their families in Ngoshe through the Wali of Ngoshe, Alhaji Shuaibu Dabawa, in an emotional ceremony.

The Armed Forces of Nigeria reaffirmed their commitment to securing communities, rescuing abducted persons, and eliminating terrorist elements across the North-East, while urging residents to continue providing credible intelligence to security agencies.

The Military High Command commended the troops for their performance and encouraged them to sustain the ongoing offensive operations across the theatre.