Borno Police reunite two boys with families after four years in Boko Haram captivity

The Borno State Police Command has successfully reunited two teenage boys with their families, four years after they were abducted and held in captivity by Boko Haram insurgents.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, police spokesperson ASP Nahum Daso identified the boys as Ayuba Ishaku and Yakubu Haruna, both approximately 13 years old.

The minors reportedly escaped from captivity on July 8 and arrived at a divisional police headquarters in Maiduguri on July 12, 2025.

The boys were abducted during a Boko Haram raid on Mandaragrau village in Biu Local Government Area on December 29, 2019, an attack in which several women and children were also taken.

They were later transferred to Boko Haram hideouts in the Mangari and Tumbun Mota areas of Baga, Kukawa LGA, where they were held for years.

According to the police, the boys recounted harrowing details of their captivity. They said they were used as domestic servants and given rudimentary training in servicing firearms — a common practice by the insurgents to indoctrinate and weaponize minors.

“They escaped under the cover of darkness on July 8, taking advantage of the absence of many insurgents who had gone out on operations,” the police statement said.

After fleeing the camp, the boys trekked through remote forests and several communities before arriving in Maiduguri four days later.

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Upon arrival, they were received at the ITE Police Division, where officers placed them in protective custody and ensured they received basic care and counseling.

Following directives from Borno State Commissioner of Police, Naziru Abdulmajid, efforts were made to trace their families. One of the boys’ fathers, Ishaku Gaji, confirmed that his son had been among the victims of the 2019 abduction.

The children have since been handed over to the Borno State Ministry of Women Affairs, where they will undergo comprehensive debriefing and psychological support as part of the ‘Borno Model’, a specialized state programme focused on the rehabilitation and reintegration of survivors of terrorism.

Commending the boys’ bravery, CP Abdulmajid reaffirmed the command’s commitment to safeguarding residents and collaborating with community stakeholders to address the lingering security threats in the state.

“The command urges members of the public to remain vigilant and promptly report any suspicious activity to security agencies,” ASP Daso added.

Borno, once the epicenter of Boko Haram’s insurgency, has witnessed significant gains in security in recent years, though pockets of attacks and abductions still occur in rural areas.