ISWAP abducts 12 teenage girls in Borno, one escapes

By Benedicta Aboh

Tension has enveloped communities in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State following the abduction of several teenage girls by members of the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP).

The Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdullahi Askira, confirmed the incident on Sunday, disclosing that the girls were seized on Saturday while harvesting crops in the Mussa district.

According to him, 13 girls, aged between 15 and 20, had gone to their family farmlands in the Mussa farming belt when armed insurgents attacked and whisked them away into the surrounding bush.

Askira, who represents the Askira-Uba constituency, explained that the victims were among residents earlier relocated from the vulnerable Huyim community to the relatively safer Mussa area following persistent insecurity. He said the girls were participating in a community farming initiative intended to support displaced households.

“One of the victims managed to escape and has been reunited with her family this morning,” the Deputy Speaker said. “But the remaining 12 teenagers, mostly between 15 and 20, are still in the custody of the abductors whose location remains unknown.”

He noted that the incident highlights the ongoing threats faced by rural residents despite government efforts to restore normalcy in the region.

Reacting, the Senator representing Borno South, Mohammed Ali Ndume, called on security agencies to intensify search and rescue operations to ensure the safe return of the girls. He urged locals to continue praying for the victims and to promptly report suspicious movements of insurgents to authorities.

The latest abduction adds to a disturbing trend of ISWAP attacks on farmers, rural women, and young girls across the North-East, particularly during the harvest season.