A distress report has emerged from Ngala, the headquarters of Gambarou Ngala in Borno State, of the abduction of 100s of women from an internally displaced persons (IDPs) camp by Boko Haram insurgents.
Daily Trust quotes a local source that a staggering 319 women were reportedly taken by the terrorist group, raising alarms over the security of vulnerable populations in conflict-affected areas.
A security source who spoke on conditions of anornimity confirmed the abduction, but indicated a discrepancy in the reported numbers, suggesting that about 113 IDPs were abducted, contrary to the higher figure circulating in reports.
Further insights from a source within the Babban Sansani IDP camp revealed that the incident unfolded last Sunday.
The women, who had ventured into the bush to fetch firewood for both domestic use and commercial purposes, fell into the hands of the insurgents.
He said, “They were surrounded by the insurgents in Bula kunte bush in the western part of Ngala town. They freed the old-aged and entered the bush with 319 abled young girls and some young boys.
“But, three of the girls who escaped and returned to Ngala said the boys (insurgents) took them to a bush close to Bukar-mairam village in Chad republic.
They escaped in the dead of night after the insurgents fell asleep, trekking for two days before they arrived in Ngala.
“Most of the IDPs girls abducted were from Babban Sansani camp, and the rest from Zulum and Arabic camps.
“They went to the bush to fetch firewood for sale because the food we are getting from the camp is not enough to feed us. Life is so difficult here.”
Another source from the security said they always warned the IDPs against going to some areas in the bush for fear of attack.
He said, “We always warn them to stay within safe areas, but it’s the economic pressure that forces most of them to go. They have no means of livelihood other than cutting off the tree for sale.
“A small measure of corn flour is sold at N2,200 where can they get the money to buy? We can’t stop them if we can’t feed them.”