Suspected ISWAP Fighters Abduct 13 Teenage Girls in Borno

The Borno State Police Command says it has rescued one girl while 13 others were abducted by suspected insurgents in Askira/Uba Local government area and has launched a coordinated search-and-rescue operation to ensure the safe return of the others.

The 14 girls were seized on November 22 at about 3:30 p.m. while working on a farmland in Mussa District, according to a statement issued on Sunday in Maiduguri by the Police public relations officer, ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso.

Daso said the command was alerted by the District Head of Huyum, who reported the girls had been taken by armed terrorists.

Security operatives immediately mobilised “a joint team of police operatives, troops of the Nigerian military, Civilian JTF and vigilantes immediately launched a rescue operation in the area. During the operation, one of the abducted girls managed to escape unharmed and was rescued. Search-and-rescue efforts are ongoing to recover the remaining 13 abducted girls,” the statement said.

The Commissioner of Police, Naziru Abdulmajid urged residents to remain vigilant and cooperate fully with security agencies as operations continue in the area.

He advised farmers and rural dwellers to operate within the coverage of security patrols and maintain caution, assuring that “further updates will be communicated as the operation progresses.”