LAGOS, Nigeria
A wave of fear has swept through a Borno community, and many started to leave their homes on Monday, a day after the Boko Haram faction, ISWAP, kidnapped 13 teenage girls, aged 15-20, while they were working on a farm in Mussa district, Askira/Uba Local Government Area.
According to local reports, the girls were harvesting crops on their farmland on Sunday when the armed attackers struck. One of the victims escaped and was reunited with her family, while the remaining 12 girls are still missing.
The district has since emptied out, with families fleeing at the start of the week. The community, already shaken by the killing of five vigilantes last week, is now tense as residents await news of the abducted girls.
Sources said most households have relocated to safer areas, adding that the incident has renewed concern over the vulnerability of rural communities to armed groups.
The Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Askira, confirmed the abduction and urged residents to share timely information with security agencies on suspected terrorist movements.
Similarly, Junaid Jibrin, media aide to Senator Ali Ndume, said the escapee had been reunited with her family and was assisting authorities with intelligence.
“According to information available, the girls were kidnapped while harvesting. Fortunately, one of the abducted girls managed to escape and has returned home safely. She is currently assisting officials and family members with vital information about the incident,” Mr Jibrin said.
In a separate development, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has directed the withdrawal of police officers assigned to VIP protection so they can return to core policing duties.
Bayo Onanuga, special adviser on information and strategy, announced the directive on Sunday and said the decision followed a security meeting attended by police, Air Force, army chiefs and the Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, in Abuja.
Under the new policy, VIPs requiring security will now request well-armed personnel from the Nigeria Security and Civil Defense Corps. The President also approved the recruitment of 30,000 new police officers and upgrades to training facilities.
