THE WEEK: 308 Kidnapped Victims Freed As 41 More Are Abducted

By Ezinwanne Onwuka 

After nearly six months in terrorist captivity, 308 Nigerians were freed this week. But across the country, eight attacks left at least 17 dead, another 21 feared dead and 41 others abducted.

Militia Attacks Leave 10 Dead in Central Nigeria

At Abaushwa, a farming community about 35 miles northeast of Makurdi, the Benue State capital, and the hometown of former Gov. Samuel Ortom, Fulani ethnic militia came after residents had gone to sleep.

Around 11 p.m. Monday, Aug. 3, armed men rode into the village and broke into homes. Residents said those who tried to flee faced machete attacks.

Four members of a Christian family died, while at least 12 other residents suffered serious injuries.

Police confirmed the killings but described the attackers as suspected bandits. Residents identified them as Fulani militants.

Plateau State saw another deadly run of attacks that killed civilians and security personnel and left others abducted.

Gunmen ambushed a joint security patrol near Ganawuri on the Sabon Gida road in Riyom County (Local Government Area) on Tuesday, Aug. 4, killing a police inspector and an Air Force corporal and taking their weapons.

The next day, three residents — Victor Danjuma, 38; Dachun Danjuma, 50; and Nyam Danjuma, 27 — were killed in a pre-dawn attack in Tanjol, also in Riyom County.

On Thursday, Aug. 6, gunmen struck Buyo village in Bassa County, killing one person and abducting four: Paul Ijah, Benjamin Idaho, Blessing Danladi and Asabe Danladi.

The police arrested a clergyman and two military personnel over an alleged plot to kidnap the wives of two prominent bishops in Jos. 

Police said the suspects — Rev. Hassan Yunisim Mijah, a Nigerian Air Force sergeant and a Nigerian Navy officer — were arrested Friday, Aug. 7, after an intelligence-led operation. 

Northwest: Assistant Superintendent of Police Killed in Gun Battle With Bandits

In Kebbe County, Sokoto State, Assistant Superintendent of Police Bala Wakili was killed Monday evening, Aug. 3, while leading a joint security operation against heavily armed bandits.

The gunmen had invaded Girkau and Zugu villages to rustle livestock. As they withdrew, a combined team of police officers, army personnel and members of the Sokoto Community Guard Corps ambushed them.

The ensuing gun battle lasted more than an hour. The bandits eventually overwhelmed the security team, killing Wakili and setting fire to two patrol vehicles — one belonging to the police and another to the Community Guard Corps.

Hours later, residents of Tsamaye, Sabon Birni County, received warnings that bandits were approaching.

Some tried to flee by boat to a nearby village. The boats were overloaded and capsized. About 25 people fell into the river. Seven were rescued; 18 remained missing.

Then the bandits entered Tsamaye.

The attack began around 9 p.m. Monday and continued past 3 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4. Residents said 37 people were abducted and at least 21 were feared dead.

After reaching safety, some escapees called relatives who had stayed behind, only to hear the bandits answer their phones.

“When we called our relatives, the bandits answered the phones and told us they were the ones who abducted them. They said they had taken 37 people,” a resident told Daily Trust.

Tsamaye was already gripped by fear. Residents said repeated attacks had driven many people from their homes at night, forcing them to sleep in farms and bushes in the hope of avoiding the gunmen.

The violence has pushed the crisis beyond individual villages. Repeated attacks have driven residents from about 20 neighboring communities into Shagari town, where displaced families now crowd into relatives’ homes.

Since June 29, more than 77 people have been killed in separate attacks across Sokoto State, according to media reports.

Six Soldiers Killed in Latest Boko Haram Assault in Northeast

In Borno State, the war against Boko Haram and ISWAP exacted another heavy price from the military.

TruthNigeria reports that six Nigerian Army personnel died Thursday, Aug. 6, in a direct Boko Haram assault in Gwoza County.

The latest deaths brought the reported number of soldiers killed in a series of coordinated Boko Haram and ISWAP attacks across Borno since July 22 to 14. Three Civilian Joint Task Force members were also injured.

But the insurgency’s toll extends far beyond the soldiers caught in its crossfire.

In Pulka, displaced families are afraid to return to their farms because insurgents control or threaten surrounding agricultural areas. They face an impossible choice: risk an attack to grow food or remain in displacement camps and go hungry.

In Ngoshe, survivors of earlier attacks are still grappling with trauma, missing relatives and the struggle to secure food and shelter.

Military Rescues 308 Captives from Terrorist Camps

But amid the killings and abductions, the military scored some victory.

On Wednesday, Aug. 5, the Kwara State government announced the release of people abducted nearly six months earlier from Woro, Nuku and surrounding communities in Kaiama County.

The Feb. 3 assault killed at least 75 people, destroyed homes and drove hundreds from their communities. About 176 residents were believed to have been abducted.

For months, their families negotiated, residents protested and raised more than ₦155 million from savings, donations and the sale of valuables in hopes of securing their release. 

The kidnappers reportedly rejected the money, insisting they would negotiate directly with the Kwara and Niger governments, according to Daily Trust.

But the government’s announcement that all 176 victims had been freed was quickly challenged by the community.

Yakubu Salihu, president of the Kaiama Development Association, said only 163 of the 176 victims had returned. 

The figure itself was disputed. Kwara State Commissioner of Police Ojo Adekimi had earlier dismissed claims that 176 residents were abducted, saying the number did not come from any official security record.

Survivors recounted their ordeal. Saliu Amira, a nurse, said about 13 children died in captivity. She said they were poorly fed and that some women gave birth or became pregnant while in captivity.

“The kind of food that they are giving us over there… The day that we reached there, they just dropped guinea corn for us with salt and Maggi,” Amira said.

Forty-six of the survivors required hospital treatment after their rescue.

The 163 were among 308 people rescued on Wednesday, Aug. 5 from terrorist camps in the Kainji Lake National Park forest region spanning Kwara, Niger and Kebbi states. Security forces also rescued 145 captives taken in separate attacks in Niger State.

The military said Friday, Aug. 7, that troops had rescued 384 kidnapped victims between July 31 and Aug. 6, arrested 49 suspected terrorists and other criminal elements, and recovered weapons and ammunition.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga described the Aug. 5 operation as “the largest rescue operation ever carried out” in a single day. It remained unclear whether the operation resulted in any arrests.

The rescue operation was one of several military gains reported during the week.

On Wednesday, Aug. 5, Operation Hadin Kai said forensic analysis of devices recovered during recent operations in northern Borno State had helped identify senior Islamic State West Africa Province commanders operating along the Mangari-Metele-Dogon Chukun axis on the fringes of the Lake Chad Basin.

Among them was Abu Musa Al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa, whom the military identified as ISWAP’s wali, or governor. His deputy, Muhammad Jidda, known as “The One-Handed Man,” and senior commander Hamad Abu Hanifa were also identified.

The military offered a “substantial financial reward” for information leading to Baa Shuwa’s arrest.

Ezinwanne Onwuka is a conflict reporter for TruthNigeria.

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