Troops have rescued a woman who was allegedly abducted by terrorists in 2017, alongside her two children, during a patrol in Borno State.
The victims were rescued around Amuda Bridge in the state during a perimeter clearance operation, according to Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication.
The operation reportedly took place at about 6:30am on August 14, when troops intercepted the woman and her children.
The woman was identified as 25-year-old Rukaya Mohammed, while her children were identified as six-year-old Hauwa Mustapha and four-year-old Fati Mustapha.
According to Makama, preliminary interrogation revealed that Rukaya was abducted from Vartalaka in 2017 and later forced into a child marriage in Chinene, where she lived with her husband in Wunje community.
“Preliminary interrogation revealed that Rukaya was abducted in 2017 from Vartalaka and subsequently forced into a child marriage in Chinene, where she lived with her husband in Wunje community,” Makama reported.
The publication said the woman told troops that internal disagreements among the terrorists eventually created an opportunity for her and her children to escape after some of the fighters abandoned the camp.
“She reportedly told troops that disagreements among the terrorists created an opportunity for their escape after a number of the fighters abandoned the camp.”
The rescued woman and her children have since been handed over to the appropriate authorities for further necessary action.
The latest rescue adds to a series of successful operations by troops resulting in the recovery of terrorist captives in Borno State.
In July, troops rescued another woman who had reportedly been abducted by Boko Haram insurgents during the 2021 farming season after she escaped from a terrorist camp in Gwoza Local Government Area.
The woman, identified as 20-year-old Ummi Umar, was rescued during a routine patrol around the Amuda Bridge area at approximately 3:35pm on July 29.
Makama, citing security sources, reported that troops found Umar wandering around the area and subsequently took her into protective custody.
Umar reportedly told the troops that Boko Haram fighters abducted her in 2021 and took her to the Suyaka terrorist camp in Gava 1, where she remained in captivity for five years.