ISWAP abducts 13 teenage female farmers in Borno

ISWAP Abducts 13 Teenage Female Farmers in Borno

Members of the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) terror group abducted 13 teenage female farmers on Monday from Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, local officials confirmed.

The victims, aged between 15 and 20, were seized from their fields in Mussa District while harvesting crops, according to Abdullahi Askira, Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly. He noted that these girls were part of a community relocated from Huyim to Mussa to ensure safer conditions for farming. One of the abducted girls managed to escape and has been reunited with her family, while the remaining 12 remain in captivity.

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This incident comes less than a week after mass abductions at Government Comprehensive Girls Secondary School in Maga, Kebbi State, and St. Mary’s Secondary and Primary School in Papiri, Niger State. The surge also coincides with attacks on a church in Kwara State, leaving two dead and several others kidnapped.

Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) urged security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the victims safely and appealed to residents to provide timely intelligence on suspicious movements of terrorists.

The latest kidnappings underscore the persistent security challenges in Nigeria, which continue to grapple with the legacy of mass abductions, including the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping by Boko Haram. The incidents have also drawn international attention, with former U.S. President Donald Trump threatening military action over perceived persecution of Christians in the country, claims rejected by Nigerian authorities.

ISWAP Abducts 13 Teenage Female Farmers in Borno