Several hundred individuals, previously abducted by the jihadist group Boko Haram earlier this year in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria, have regained their freedom. Both military officials and local sources confirmed the significant release.

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 Africa’s most populous nation.

Mass abductions, often culminating in ransom payments, are a recurring tactic employed by these Islamist groups. Samaila Kaigama, president of the Borno South Youth Alliance (BOSYA), reported securing the release of 416 women and children who had been taken from Ngoshe.

Two infants deceased

“They were liberated on Saturday,” Kaigama specified to journalists. Mohammed Ali Ndume, a Senator from Borno State, corroborated the liberation.

However, in a separate communication later that day, the Nigerian army indicated a different account, stating that 360 individuals were freed not by Boko Haram directly, but during a strategic “operation” carried out by armed forces “thanks to intelligence.”

The military elaborated on their strategy, explaining that they gathered intelligence and conducted “psychological operations” designed to sow “distrust among the insurgents” before initiating the “assault phase.”

These victims were held “under severe conditions after being abducted from various communities, particularly along the Ngoshe axis,” the army’s statement detailed.

“Unfortunately, two infants succumbed to exhaustion due to the prolonged captivity and the harsh conditions,” Daniel Bwala, spokesperson for President Bola Tinubu, confirmed on social media, also citing the figure of 360 liberated individuals.

Ransoms: a common practice

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 fighters.

The head of the youth organization stated he was unaware of the specific circumstances surrounding the release. His group, BOSYA, which had established communication channels between the captors and affected families, did not provide further details.

Official authorities consistently deny making ransom payments, though analysts widely assert that such practices are common, both by the government and victims’ families.

A report from SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consultancy, reveals that approximately 1.66 million dollars in ransom payments were disbursed to various armed groups in Nigeria – including jihadists, “bandits,” and separatists – between July 2024 and June 2025.