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Succour to Borno community, as more 11 abducted women regain freedom
Barely 24 hours after the rescue of 416 residents of Ngoshe community in Borno State, abducted during an invasion by suspected Boko Haram/ISWAP terrorists three months ago, a fresh wave of relief and emotion has swept across parts of the state, as another set of captives regained freedom.
This time, it was Dille community in Askira/Uba, where 11 women abducted seven months earlier, while on a fishing expedition, were reunited with their families after what residents described as months of anguish, uncertainty and silent prayers.
The women were reportedly among those rescued, following coordinated operations by the Nigerian Army under Operation HADINKAI, the same military offensive credited with the wider liberation of over 400 captives from Ngoshe and adjoining communities.
Their return sparked emotional scenes in Dille, where families, who had lived with unanswered questions for months broke into tears of joy, thanksgiving and relief.
Community sources said the returnees had undergone comprehensive medical examinations and health assessments before reunification with their families, as part of standard procedures after captivity.
Vanguard also gathered that during their time in captivity, two of the women managed to escape, while another two were later released by their abductors before the final rescue operation.
Confirming the development, Chairman of Askira/Uba Local Government Area, Mada Saidu, expressed gratitude over their safe return and commended security agencies for their sustained efforts in the region.
He said: “We thank God for the safe return of our daughters and wives. We also appreciate the Nigerian Army, the Borno State government and all security agencies for their commitment and sacrifices toward ensuring their freedom and safety.”
While the relief was still being processed in Askira/Uba, attention also remained fixed on Ngoshe, where the Ngoshe Stakeholders Forum, NSF, denied reports attributing the rescue of the 416 captives to any individual or non-recognised group.
In a press conference in Maiduguri, yesterday, attended by former Gwoza Local Government chairmen, community leaders and concerned stakeholders, chairman of the forum, Prof. Suleiman Bello, distanced the community from claims credited to a group
He said: “We, the stakeholders and representatives of our people, wish to categorically dissociate ourselves from a self-acclaimed group operating under the name ‘Borno South Youth Alliance,’ allegedly managed by one Samaila Kaigama, who has publicly claimed involvement in the facilitation of the release of our people.
“For the avoidance of doubt, this group is unknown to us, does not represent our people in any capacity, and was never mandated to speak or act on our behalf. Their claims are entirely false, misleading, and should be disregarded by the general public.”
The forum warned against attempts to exploit the humanitarian crisis for personal gain, stressing that such actions risked undermining genuine peace and security efforts in the region.
Bello added: “We are deeply concerned by the activities and utterances of such individuals and groups whose actions appear designed to exploit sensitive humanitarian and security situations for personal gain.
“Available indications strongly suggest a pattern of deceptive conduct capable of undermining genuine efforts towards peace, security, and community stability,”
He further urged the public, media organisations, humanitarian actors and stakeholders to exercise caution in engaging unauthorised individuals or groups.
“We, therefore, advise members of the public, media organisations, humanitarian actors and relevant stakeholders to exercise caution and avoid engaging with or recognising any unauthorised group or individual falsely claiming to represent our people,” he added.
Despite the controversy, the forum expressed appreciation to government and security agencies for their intervention, while also appealing for urgent post-conflict support to affected communities.
Bello said: “As law-abiding citizens, we remain sincerely grateful to the federal, Borno State governments, security agencies, humanitarian institutions and all relevant stakeholders for their sacrifices, commitment, and support toward the safety, peace, and well being of our people.
“We remain committed to lawful engagement, responsible communication, and continued support for all legitimate efforts aimed at restoring lasting peace and stability in our communities.
“We wish to formally announce and celebrate the successful release and safe return of 416 Ngoshe captives who had been held by Boko Haram insurgents. The freed captives have since reunited with their families and loved ones amid emotional scenes of relief, gratitude and renewed hope for peace and stability in Ngoshe and the entire Gwoza axis.
“We also extend our deepest appreciation to the Nigerian Army, especially troops stationed in Ngoshe, Pulka and Gwoza, whose sacrifices, resilience and patriotism continue to guarantee security and hope for our people despite enormous challenges.
“We are pleased to also note that the returnees are currently receiving adequate medical attention, psychological support and humanitarian care to aid their recovery and reintegration into society after enduring traumatic experiences in captivity.”
However, the forum warned that despite the successful rescue, reconstruction and resettlement challenges remained critical, especially as the rainy season sets in.
Community’s dilemma
However, the 416 rescued residents did not return to their ancestral homes, they were taken to Pulka community to join their relatives.
The community, located at the foot of the Mandara Mountains, along the Nigeria-Cameroon border, described as Boko Haram’s enclanve, was attacked by insurgents in March this year, forcing nearly 3,000 residents who had earlier been resettled there to flee once again to Pulka, where the government established an Internally Displaced Persons, IDP, camp for them.
Speaking on the development, community sources said Ngoshe residents had previously spent more than seven years in displacement before Borno State government, under Governor Babagana Zulum, reconstructed their destroyed homes and facilitated their return nearly two years ago.
However, the insurgents reportedly overran the community in March, killing some residents and dislodging both civilians and security personnel..
Troops have since regained control of the area and maintained a visible presence across key corridors around the Mandara axis. The question of return remains tied to one condition: until the community is declared fit for habitation, military presence will remain. The military were still at their Base in the community as at yesterday (Tuesday).
In Dille, the emotion was difficult to contain. Residents who had gathered in expectation yesterday broke down in tears as the 11 women arrived. Some were embraced in silence, unable to speak.
Chairman of Askira/Uba Local Government Area, Mada Saidu, described their return as a moment of relief and gratitude.
He commended the Nigerian Army, the Operation HADINKAI, Borno State government and other security agencies for their efforts, saying the rescue reflected continued pressure on insurgent groups across the region.
317 terrorists neutralised, 221 hostages rescued in one month — Military
Meanwhile, Defence Headquarters has said troops recorded significant operational gains in May 2026, neutralising 317 terrorists, criminals, illegal miners and informants across various theatres of operation.
According to statistics released by the Defence Media Operations, “314 suspects were also arrested for offences ranging from terrorism and criminality to illegal mining and acting as informants, while 18 insurgents surrendered to troops during sustained military pressure.”
The military further disclosed that three illegal refining sites and associated assets were destroyed, thereby cutting off key funding sources for criminal networks.
It added that 221 kidnapped hostages were rescued during the operations, while 21,910 litres of illegally refined petroleum products were recovered alongside 93 assorted firearms, ammunition and other military hardware.
Defence authority said the results reflected intensified pressure on criminal and terrorist elements nationwide, urging citizens to continue providing timely and credible intelligence to security agencies as efforts to restore lasting peace intensify.
Culled from Vanguard
The echoes of the drums rolled out to celebrate the rescue of the 44 teachers and students, kidnapped from some schools in Oyo State, after 56 days in the bush, would surely be disrupted abruptly, with the divergent echoes of a fresh abduction, this time coming from Kogi State.
Reports indicate that the gunmen, struck on Tuesday at the Government Secondary School, Odo-Ekina, in Dekina Local Government Area of the state, abducting four students, the school principal and a National Examinations Council (NECO) ad hoc staff member.
Authorities of the Kogi State Police Command, who immediately unleashed their operatives in hot pursuit of the abductors, said the attack occurred at about 5:25 p.m. while the students were writing their NECO examination.
Saliu Oyiza Afusat, an Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) and spokesman of the command, said a combined team of police personnel and other security agencies has launched a search-and-rescue operation following the incident.
Informing that one of the students was actually rescued immediately, she said efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the remaining victims and apprehend the attackers, adding that Naziru Bello Kankarofi, the state Commissioner of Police, alongside the Brigade Commander and the State Security Adviser to the Governor, Commodore Jerry Omodara (Rtd), were already on the way to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
Oil prices are expected to go down now with the announcement of Donald Trump, US President that he will no longer impose a 20 percent “safe passage” fee on ships passing through the Strait of Hormuz.
The POTUS, hinged his reversal of the decision on the intervention from some Gulf countries, who pleaded with him not to toe the line due to the massive economic impact the decision would make on the region.
Indeed, oil prices had shot up immediately Trump announced the new levy on Monday while declaring the US ‘the guardians of the Hormuz strait,’ a measure which he said was to pay for the cost of guarding the volatile area in order keep supply of oil flowing.
Reports said that Gulf allies of the US worked frantically to get Trump on the phone in time to talk him out of the idea altogether, while a flurry of appeals came from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar.
In response, the POTUS, posting on his Truth Social platform, wrote: “Based on highly productive conversations with Middle East leadership, I have decided to replace the 20% United States Reimbursement Fee with Trade and Investment Deals that the various Gulf States will be making into the United States.”
Trump, who said the investments would be “MASSIVE but, at the same time, extraordinarily good for them, and their future,” added that the deals would see factories, plants, and equipment pour into the US at “Historic levels.”
The Gulf nations have committed to invest trillions of dollars in the US, though it remains unclear how much of that they will actually spend over the next several years.
Meanwhile, the US continues to bomb Iran in what appears to be a resumption of active conflict between both countries, despite an ongoing roadmap to end the conflict.
Reports say operatives of the Osun State Police Command, and those of the Department of State Services (DSS) had tracking the trail of Adeniyi Adeyemi, controversial Director General of the Presidential Foreign Intervention Promotion Council (PFIPC), for weeks, before he was eventually pulled out of his hole on Tuesday.
However, the duo, were said to have pulled back after failing to track him through his mobile phones, which he had reportedly switched off for about two days, making it difficult to locate him, leaving the stage for the members of the Police Intelligence Response Team (PI-RT) led by Moses Lohor, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP).
Lohor, said to have previously served as the Commander of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad of Osun State, and reported to have been involved in high-profile security operations and controversies, after taken over fielded his men to pick up signals from their well-oiled signal networks.
Regarded by many Osun residents as one of the key security officers who contributed significantly to the peace and stability enjoyed in Ilesa and other parts of the state during his tenure, he was said to have relied on his contacts before his transfer out of the state, said to have raised concerns from the public about the security situation he would be leaving behind.
His exit from the state was said to be hinged on an incident in 2024, in which he allegedly shot one Iyanda Alowonle, then Chairman of Osun State Motor Transport System, in the stomach at the police station in the state prompting an order for his arrest by then Inspector General of Police (IGP).
His effort was said to have paid off when he successfully tracked down the controversial PFIPC, boss, who was seen on Tuesday evening, in a shot video on social media undergoing interrogation, and eventually handed him over to Ibrahim Gotan, Commissioner of Police in the state.
The PUNCH quoted one of the sources as saying: “The arrest (of Adeyemi) took place on Tuesday morning by the IRT squad, who immediately moved him to Abuja. After he was arrested, he was taken to Ibadan and from there to Abuja.”
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