In Ngala, the headquarters of Gambarou Ngala in Borno State, a significant number of female internally displaced persons (IDPs) have been reportedly kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists.
The kidnapping was confirmed by a security source, who denied the claim that 319 IDPs were taken hostage and said they were about 113.
However, according to a source from the Babban Sansani IDP camp, the event occurred last Sunday when the women walked into the bush to get firewood for both personal and commercial use.
He added that they were in the western portion of Ngala town, in the Bula Kunte bush, where the rebels had surrounded them. After which they let the elderly free, and went into the bush with 319 young women and a few young boys.
However, three of the females who managed to escape and make their way back to Ngala said that the insurgents took them to a jungle near the Chad republican community of Bukar-mairam.
The rebels fell asleep, and they made their getaway in the dark of night. They had to journey for two days to reach Ngala.
According to the source, the Arabic and Zulum camps housed the majority of the kidnapped IDP females, with the majority coming from the Babban Sansani camp. He said the food they were receiving from the camp was insufficient to support them, so they went to the forest to gather firewood in large quantities to sell.
According to a second security source, the IDPs have always been advised not to venture to certain bushy regions out of fear of being attacked. However, the majority of them were compelled to leave due to economic hardship. Other than chopping the tree off to sell, they have no other source of income.
This is among the most significant kidnappings to occur in Borno State since the night of April 14, 2014, when 276 students from Government students Secondary School in Chibok were abducted.
