Boko Haram terrorists have once again thrust Borno State into anguish after reportedly displaying abducted victims in a propaganda move that underscores the group’s continued campaign of terror. The display comes amid a wave of abductions and deadly raids across rural communities, with hundreds of residents still missing and thousands displaced from their homes.
In one of the most recent mass abductions, suspected Boko Haram fighters stormed the Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area around 1am, first attacking a military post before unleashing violence on residents. Eyewitnesses said the assault lasted hours, leaving an unspecified number of civilians dead and several women abducted. The Borno State Police Command confirmed many residents were still unaccounted for and may have been taken toward the Mandara Mountains.
The group has a long record of parading and exploiting captives. In Borno, terrorists have abducted women and girls from farms and villages, later using them for forced labor, sexual abuse, and as bargaining tools. At least 2,000 women and girls were abducted by Boko Haram between 2014 and 2015, with many forced into slavery and made to participate in attacks, according to documented witness accounts.
Abductees have also been released only after ransom negotiations. In one case, 49 women kidnapped on their farms near Maiduguri were freed after a state official paid 1 million naira to the assailants, despite an initial demand of 3 million naira. Another group of 42 women from a displacement camp was released after officials paid ₦1 million alongside food items, with sources saying terrorists flogged the women during phone negotiations to pressure for payment.
While Nigerian troops under Operation Hadin Kai have rescued victims in daring raids, including 12 women and children freed in the Mandara Mountains after a pre-dawn operation, the abductions continue. The Army said the captives were recovered after troops launched a coordinated assault that forced fighters to flee, but many victims were found exhausted and injured from days in captivity.
Community leaders and security analysts warn that displaying abducted victims is a tactic to instill fear, disrupt farming, and pressure authorities for concessions. With hundreds still missing after recent attacks and survivors sleeping in schools and on roads in Pulka for fear of further raids, calls are intensifying for sustained military pressure, improved intelligence, and urgent humanitarian support for displaced families across Borno.