16 women have been abducted by Boko Haram gunmen in the Adamawa state in northeast Nigeria reports AFP
“We received report of the kidnap of 14 women and two girls by gunmen believed to be Boko Haram insurgents near Sabon Garin Madagali village…. We have sent search teams to the area and have notified the military who have also deployed personnel for search and rescue operation in the bush to free the hostages.” Said said Adamawa state police spokesperson Othman Abubakar
The women were taken hostage while fetching firewood and fishing at a nearby river under the escort of two civilian vigilantes working with the Nigerian army in fight against Boko Haram
The alarm was raised by two women managed to escape by pretending to have drowned in the river.
Boko haram has kidnapped thousands of women and girls including the 200 school girls from the town of Borno according to Human Rights groups. The seven year unsurgency is believed to have left more than 17 000 people dead. Over 2.6 million people have fled their homes due to the violence , some have returned as Nigerian army began fight against the insurgents.
“Since people returned to their homes we have been experiencing attacks by Boko Haram despite claims that security has been restored… The abduction shows that more security needs to be deployed to protect the people from attacks and abductions.” Said Adamu Kamale, representative of the area in Nigeria’s lower chamber parliament
