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

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

Mass abductions, often culminating in ransom payments, remain a frequent tactic employed by these Islamist factions. Samaila Kaigama, president of the Borno South Youth Alliance (BOSYA), a local youth organization, reported securing the release of 416 women and children who had been kidnapped from Ngoshe.

Tragic loss of two infants

Kaigama confirmed to journalists that these individuals “were liberated on Saturday.” 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, attributing their release not to Boko Haram directly, but to a targeted operation conducted by armed forces “thanks to intelligence.”

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

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

“Unfortunately, two infants died of exhaustion due to prolonged captivity and harsh conditions,” stated Daniel Bwala, spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu, on social media, also confirming the liberation of 360 people.

Ransoms: a persistent challenge

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

The head of the youth organization stated that he was unaware of the precise circumstances surrounding the liberation. BOSYA, which had established communication channels between the abductors and affected families, did not provide further details.

While authorities consistently deny paying ransoms, analysts assert that it remains a common practice, utilized by both government entities and victims’ families.

A report by SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consulting firm, reveals that approximately 1.66 million dollars were paid in ransoms from July 2024 to June 2025 to various armed groups in Nigeria, including jihadists, “bandits,” and separatists.