Hundreds of women and children freed from Boko Haram captivity in northeast Nigeria

Hundreds of people abducted earlier this year by the jihadist group Boko Haram in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, have been freed, according to the military and local sources.

Since 2009, a jihadist insurgency led by Boko Haram and later by its rival, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions in Africa’s most populous country.

Mass kidnappings, often followed by ransom payments, are a common tactic used by Islamist militants. Samaila Kaigama, president of the Borno South Youth Alliance (BOSYA), said he secured the release of 416 women and children abducted from Ngoshe.

Two infants die in captivity

“They were freed on Saturday,” Kaigama told journalists. Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume of Borno State confirmed the release.

However, in a separate statement later that day, the military reported a different figure: 360 people freed not by Boko Haram but during a “military operation” based on “intelligence.” The army said it gathered intelligence and conducted “psychological operations” to sow “mistrust among the insurgents” before “the assault phase began.”

The victims had been held “in harsh conditions after being kidnapped from several communities, particularly along the Ngoshe axis,” according to the army statement.

“Sadly, two infants died from exhaustion due to the prolonged captivity and difficult conditions,” wrote Daniel Bwala, spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu, on social media, also confirming the 360 figure.

Ransom payments are routine

Ngoshe village lies less than 10 kilometers from the Cameroon border in the Gwoza hills, a Boko Haram stronghold, and has faced repeated attacks from Islamist fighters.

The youth group leader said he did not know the circumstances of the release. His organization, BOSYA, had set up communication channels between the kidnappers and affected families but provided no details.

Authorities deny paying ransoms, though analysts say it is a common practice, both by the government and by victims’ families. Between July 2024 and June 2025, approximately $1.66 million was paid in ransoms to various armed groups in Nigeria, including jihadists, “bandits,” and separatists, according to a report by SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consulting firm.