Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have rescued 12 teenage girls abducted by suspected members of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the Mussa district of Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.
The girls were kidnapped on November 23 while harvesting crops on their farms. The attack forced many residents of the area to flee to neighbouring communities.
According to security sources quoted by Zagazola Makama, a counter-insurgency publication, the rescue operation was carried out on Saturday. It remains unclear whether any ransom was paid.
The rescued girls were identified as: Fatima Shaibu (17), Fatima Umaru (15), Hauwa Abubakar (18), Saliha Muhammed (15), Sadiya Umaru (17), Amira Babel (15), Zara Adamu (17), Nana Shaibu (15), Zainab Musa (18), Zainab Muhammed (17), Jamila Saidu (15) and Hauwa Hamidu (17).
They have since been taken to a military facility for medical checks and profiling, after which they will be reunited with their families.
Northern Nigeria has witnessed a surge in violent attacks and kidnappings in recent weeks, including the ambush of a military convoy in Borno by ISWAP fighters. Brigadier General M. Uba was captured during the ambush and later killed.
In separate incidents across Zamfara, Sokoto and Yobe states, armed groups have continued to carry out abductions and killings.
More than 200 schoolchildren were recently kidnapped in Niger and Kebbi states, while 38 worshippers were abducted during a church service in Kwara. The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) later announced that 50 of the abducted Niger students had escaped, though at least 250 remain missing.
In contrast, the 24 schoolgirls kidnapped in Kebbi were freed on November 25, and all 38 abducted worshippers in Kwara have also regained their freedom.
