Several hundred individuals, previously abducted by the jihadist group Boko Haram earlier this year in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, have been successfully freed. This significant development was confirmed by both the military and local sources.

Since 2009, a relentless jihadist insurgency, spearheaded first by Boko Haram and subsequently by its rival, the Islamic State in West Africa Province (ISWAP), has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions across the northeast of Africa’s most populous nation.

Mass kidnappings, often followed by demands for ransom, are a tactic frequently employed by these Islamist factions. Samaila Kaigama, president of the Borno South Youth Alliance (BOSYA), a local youth organization, initially stated that his group had facilitated the release of 416 women and children who were abducted from Ngoshe.

two infants perished

“They were freed on Saturday,” Kaigama informed reporters. Mohammed Ali Ndume, a Senator representing Borno State, also corroborated the liberation.

However, in a separate statement released later the same day, the army specified that 360 individuals were freed, not through Boko Haram’s initiative, but as a direct result of a strategic “operation” conducted by the armed forces, leveraging critical intelligence.

The military elaborated that it had gathered intelligence and executed “psychological operations” designed to sow “distrust among the insurgents” before initiating the “assault phase.”

According to the army’s communiqué, the victims had been held “under harsh conditions after being abducted from various communities, particularly along the Ngoshe axis.”

“Regrettably, two infants perished from exhaustion due to the prolonged captivity and severe conditions,” affirmed Daniel Bwala, spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu, who also cited the figure of 360 liberated individuals on social media.

ransom payments: a persistent issue

The village of Ngoshe, situated less than 10 kilometers from the Cameroonian border within the Gwoza hills, is a known stronghold for Boko Haram and has been subjected to repeated assaults by Islamist militants.

The youth organization leader stated that he was unaware of the precise circumstances surrounding the liberation. His organization, BOSYA, which had established communication channels between the captors and affected families, did not provide further details on the release mechanism.

While authorities consistently deny making ransom payments, analysts contend that such practices are prevalent, involving both government entities and the families of victims.

A report from SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consultancy firm, revealed that approximately $1.66 million was paid in ransoms between July 2024 and June 2025 to various armed factions across Nigeria, including jihadists, “bandits,” and separatist groups.