At least forty-seven women are missing in northeastern Nigeria after a mass kidnapping perpetrated by jihadists, anti-jihadist militia leaders announced Tuesday March 5 to Agence France-Presse (AFP). According to these sources, the attack occurred on Friday in Borno state, in the grip of a jihadist insurgency that has left more than 40,000 dead and 2 million displaced since 2009, and was carried out by members of the Islamic State in West Africa (Iswap).
Women from a camp for displaced people in Ngala, near the border with Cameroon, were collecting firewood when they were “surrounded by Iswap insurgents”, Shehu Madale, head of the camp, told AFP. of an anti-jihadist militia. “Some women were able to escape,” he added, “but forty-seven women (…) could not be found. They were kidnapped by jihadists. » Usman Hamza, another leader of an anti-jihadist militia, confirmed these figures, declaring that “forty-seven women (…) did not return” from collecting wood after the attack.
Kidnappings across the country
According to Borno state police spokesperson Nahum Daso Kenneth, the attack occurred at 4 p.m. local time on Friday. The police, however, did not give precise figures for the number of people kidnapped. A member of the Ngala local government information service, Ali Bukar, said he had received reports of even higher numbers of kidnapped women.
Kidnappings in Nigeria, often for ransom, are a major problem and affect the entire country. Gangs operate on highways, in victims’ homes and even in schools. They operate in particular from bases located in the forests of the northwestern and central states of the country. In early February, at least thirty-five women returning from a wedding were kidnapped by armed men in the state of Katsina (Northwest).
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu came to power in 2023 promising to tackle insecurity fueled by jihadist groups, bandits in the Northeast and a sharp increase in intercommunal violence in central states. country. But critics say the violence is out of control.
