In yet another attack, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) has abducted 13 teenage girls in farming communities in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
The incident occurred in Mussa district, where the teenagers were working on farmlands before they were rounded up and taken away by the insurgents.
Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdullahi Askira, confirmed the abductions on Sunday.
Askira, who represents Askira-Uba Constituency, said the victims were between 15 and 20 years old and had gone to harvest crops when the terrorists struck.
According to the lawmaker, the abducted teenagers are among residents earlier relocated by the government from Huyim to the relatively safer Mussa farming community following persistent insecurity.
“The victims are among those relocated to a relatively peaceful community of Mussa to earn means of their livelihoods through joint community farming,” he said.
He added that one of the girls managed to escape from captivity and reunited with her family early Sunday morning.
“But the other 12 victims, mostly between the ages of 15 and 20 years, are still in the custody of the abductors whose whereabouts remain unknown,” he said.
Reacting to the sad development, the Senator representing Borno South, Mohammed Ali Ndume, condemned the attack and urged security operatives to intensify efforts to rescue the remaining victims unharmed.
“Security agencies must do everything possible to safely rescue these girls. I also appeal to residents to continue praying for their safe return and to report any suspicious movement of terrorists,” he said.
As of press time, the military and other security agencies had not released an official statement regarding the incident.
However, local hunters and vigilante groups were reported to have begun preliminary search operations in nearby forest corridors.
