Six former refugees abducted by Boko Haram insurgents in Borno State have been released after ransom payments were made, local sources confirm.
The victims, recently repatriated from Chad, were kidnapped two weeks ago while fishing near Doron Baga, a community in Kukawa Local Government Area of Borno State. They had only returned home months earlier after spending over a decade as refugees, displaced by the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency.
According to one of the survivors, Bukar Shuib (name changed for safety), six of the eight abducted persons were freed after ransom payments ranging from ₦200,000 to ₦300,000 were made by their families.
“They released six of us,” Shuib said. “Some of us paid N300,000. Others paid less. Our families raised the money.”
Shuib recounted harrowing details of their time in captivity, stating that they were tied up for days and forced to witness the beheading of another abductee.
“They brought someone else they had abducted and slaughtered him in front of us,” he said.
“They told us not to look away and warned our families that if they didn’t pay, they would do the same to us.”
Two victims remain in captivity because their families were unable to meet the insurgents’ demands. The Nigerian authorities are yet to release a statement about the abduction or the ransom payments.
The incident underscores the worsening insecurity in the region. Just last week, Borno State Governor Babagana Zulum warned that Boko Haram was regaining ground, raising fresh concerns about the safety of returnees and residents in conflict-prone areas.
