Two abducted girls escape Boko Haram enclave, rescued by troops in Borno

Troops of Operation HADIN KAI have rescued two girls who escaped from a Boko Haram enclave in the Mandara Mountains after being held in captivity by insurgents in Borno State.

The girls were rescued at about 7:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 2, by troops of the 82 Division Task Force Battalion deployed in Ngoshe, Gwoza Local Government Area.

According to military sources, the soldiers were on a routine patrol when they spotted two distressed girls near Armuda Bridge. After securing the area to rule out any threat, the troops approached and confirmed that the pair had escaped from an insurgent hideout and were seeking help.

The rescued girls were identified as Bintu Adamu, 15, and Sadiya Jummai, 11.

Preliminary investigations revealed that the girls were abducted during an earlier attack on Ngoshe community and taken to a terrorist camp in the Chinene area of the Mandara Mountains.

Security sources said the victims seized an opportunity to flee after security within the camp became lax. They reportedly trekked through the rugged mountain terrain before encountering the military patrol.

Following the rescue, troops conducted a sweep of the surrounding area to ensure there was no immediate threat from pursuing insurgents before returning safely to their base.

The girls were given first aid and medical attention for exhaustion and minor injuries sustained during their escape.

After receiving treatment, they were handed over to the community leader of Ngoshe, Mallam Bulama Kunda, at the community’s internally displaced persons (IDP) camp, where efforts were initiated to reunite them with their families.

The Mandara Mountains, which stretch along the Nigeria-Cameroon border, remain a major operational base for remnants of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The difficult terrain has long been used by insurgents to hide abductees and launch attacks on surrounding communities.

The rescue is the latest in a series of operations by troops of Operation HADIN KAI aimed at degrading insurgent activities and securing communities in Nigeria’s North-East.