Teenage Girls Abducted by ISWAP in Borno While Harvesting Crops

Tension has risen in Borno State after members of the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) reportedly abducted several teenage girls in the Askira-Uba Local Government Area.

The incident was confirmed by the Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Askira, who revealed that the girls were kidnapped while working on farmlands in the Mussa district.

According to Askira, the victims—aged between 15 and 20—were on their farms harvesting crops when the insurgents stormed the area and whisked them away.

He disclosed that two of the abducted teenagers have been identified as Huyim and Mussa, adding that the attack has caused fear and panic among residents who rely heavily on farming for survival.

He said: “The victims are among those relocated to a relatively peaceful community of Mussa to earn means of their livelihoods through joint community farming. One of the victims managed to escape and had been reunited with her family on Sunday morning. But, the other 12 victims, mostly between the ages of 15 and 20 years, are still in the custody of the abductors whose whereabouts remain unknown”