360 Freed Borno Captives Recount Hunger, Deaths Experiences

Survivors of the attack on Ngoshe community have narrated the suffering they faced while being held by terrorists for several months in Borno State. The victims, many of them women and children, said they lived under difficult conditions with little food, poor shelter and limited access to clean water.

Several of the freed captives said they survived mainly on guinea corn provided by their captors. According to their accounts, food was usually served once a day, forcing many of them to endure long periods of hunger. They explained that the women prepared the meals themselves using supplies given to them by the terrorists.

The victims also disclosed that they slept on bare ground in rocky mountain locations and struggled to access water throughout their captivity. Some said illnesses spread among children due to the harsh environment, leading to the deaths of six children during the period they were held.

Some of the released residents claimed they observed what appeared to be an organised supply network serving different terrorist camps. According to them, food items were regularly transported to the location where they were held before being distributed to other hideouts.

A number of the survivors further alleged that teenage boys among the captives were separated from the larger group shortly before their release. They claimed the boys, believed to be between 13 and 17 years old, were retained by the terrorists and taken to another location.

The freed residents also gave different accounts of how they regained freedom. Some said they did not witness any exchange of gunfire during the process. According to them, the terrorists escorted the captives down from the mountains before abandoning them at a point where they later met security personnel.

Some victims revealed that they encountered other abductees who had spent even longer periods in captivity. According to them, several people who had been kidnapped while fishing had already spent about seven months in the camps before eventually regaining freedom alongside the Ngoshe residents.

Another claim made by some of the released captives involved the arrival of several Ghana-Must-Go bags at the terrorist camp shortly before their release. They said multiple motorcycles transported the bags to the mountain hideout less than a day before they were freed. However, they could not confirm the contents of the bags.

Despite the difficult conditions, some female victims said they were separated from the male captives and were not physically abused during their stay in the camp.

Meanwhile, the Borno State Government has rejected suggestions that ransom was paid to secure the release of the captives. The Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, maintained that the operation that secured their freedom was carried out through intelligence gathering and military action, with support from the Department of State Services.

Governor Babagana Zulum visited the freed residents in Pulka and commended President Bola Tinubu, the military and other security agencies for their roles in securing the release of the abductees. He disclosed that hundreds of residents had now regained freedom from captivity through different operations conducted in recent months.

The governor also announced that the state government had committed resources toward rebuilding affected communities and supporting displaced residents. He directed the distribution of relief materials to the released captives, who are currently receiving medical treatment and psychological care before returning to their communities.

While many families celebrated the return of the freed residents, concern remains over another abduction case in the state. The Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Askira, disclosed that 42 schoolchildren abducted from Mussa community in Askira/Uba Local Government Area remain in captivity three weeks after their kidnapping.

According to him, neither community leaders nor the families of the children have received any communication from the abductors. He appealed for the unconditional release of the children and called on security agencies to intensify efforts to secure their safe return.