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Mandara Mountain Rescue
Nigeria’s army said it freed 360 people abducted by Boko Haram extremists in Borno state, in the northeastern part of the country, after an operation in the Mandara mountains that form part of the militants’ stronghold.
“The Nigerian army says it has freed 360 people, including children, from Boko Haram captivity”
The army said the captives included children and that two infants died of exhaustion during the trek out of the mountains, while the remaining rescued abductees were evacuated for medical care and humanitarian support.
The BBC reported that the hostages were kidnapped from a mainly Muslim community near the border with Cameroon, with the captives described as coming from around Ngoshe in Borno.
The BBC also said the circumstances of how the captives were freed are disputed, with the army describing an intelligence-led operation and a local group saying it mediated an unconditional release.
416 vs 360
The Borno South Youth Alliance (BOSYA), represented by its president Samaila Kaigama, confirmed to The Eastleigh Voice that Boko Haram released 416 residents abducted from Ngoshe, and said the captives “regained their freedom on June 6.”
Kaigama told journalists, according to The Eastleigh Voice, “BOSYA has secured the release of all the Ngoshe 416 women and children. They were released on June 6,” framing the release as the result of sustained advocacy.
The BBC, meanwhile, reported that the army said it launched an unprecedented intelligence-led operation that had been weeks in the planning and taken the Islamist militants by surprise, while the local group put the number freed at 416.
In the BBC’s account, Daniel Bwala, a special adviser to President Bola Tinubu, posted on X that “Sadly, two infants died due to exhaustion from prolonged captivity and harsh terrain,” as authorities said the hostages were receiving medical care.
Aftermath and Disputed Mediation
The BBC said the authorities were receiving medical care after the release, and it described the army spokesperson Lt-Col Haruna M Sani saying the assault on Boko Haram’s Mandara mountain hideout was “under cover of darkness” and one of the military’s “most significant hostage rescue operations”.
“one of the military's "most significant hostage rescue operations"”
The BBC also reported that Samaila Kaigama told journalists his group had been advocating for release and had been in contact with the militants, and in a video posted on Facebook he hit out at “government boys” who he said were “claiming glory for our efforts”.
In parallel, The Eastleigh Voice said Kaigama urged the Federal Government, Borno State Government and relevant local authorities to ensure proper screening, medical assessment and rehabilitation of the released captives to support their reintegration into society.
The BBC further noted that while it is illegal to pay ransoms, it does happen in Nigeria, and it referenced Boko Haram’s 2014 kidnapping of more than 200 schoolgirls from Chibok, with around 90 still missing.