1. Skip to content
  2. Skip to main menu
  3. Skip to more DW sites
CrimeNigeria

Nearly 50 women kidnapped in Nigeria's Borno

March 6, 2024

Nearly 50 women were abducted by suspected Islamist insurgents while collecting firewood in Borno, Nigeria. Both Boko Haram and the Islamic State of West Africa Province are active in the region.

Nigerian soldiers patrol on October 12, 2019, after gunmen suspected of belonging to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) group raided the village of Tungushe.
Nigeria has grappled with mass kidnappings, particularly targeting women, as it struggles to contain criminal militias and intercommunal violenceImage: AFP/Getty Images

At least 47 women are missing after suspected Islamist insurgents carried out a mass kidnapping in a remote area of northeastern Nigeria's Borno state.

The incident happened days ago, but details only started emerging Wednesday due to the area's remote nature.

Some 50 woman were initially taken, but some managed to escape.

Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) are both known to have operated in Borno state.

What do we know about the kidnapping?

Women from displacement camps in Ngala, near the borders with Cameroon and Chad, were gathering firewood when they were "rounded up by ISWAP insurgents," anti-jihadist militia leaders told the French AFP news agency.

The victims were ambushed by gunmen and made to walk across bush paths to neighboring Chad, an official of the Civilian Joint Task Force told the Reuters news agency. Three of the women managed to escape, the official added.

One of the women, Falmata Bukar, told Reuters the gunmen had "surrounded us and we were asked to follow them to the bush."

AFP cited an officer at the Ngala Local Government Information Unit as saying he had received reports of an even higher number of abductees, though he did not specify the number.

Nigeria has grappled with mass kidnappings, particularly targeting women, as it struggles to contain criminal militias and intercommunal violence.

Nigeria's female students targeted in kidnapping spree

02:02

This browser does not support the video element.

rmt/lo (AFP, Reuters)

Skip next section DW's Top Story

DW's Top Story

Skip next section More stories from DW