Doctors strike in Nigeria over kidnapped colleague

Doctors in Nigerian public hospitals have started a seven-day nationwide strike to demand the release of their colleague, Dr Ganiyat Popoola, who has been held by kidnappers for eight months.

The mother of five was taken from her home in the middle of the night on 27 December alongside her husband and a niece.

Her husband was released in March after a ransom was reportedly paid but the kidnappers held onto the ophthalmologist and her relative.

The doctors say they will not even provide emergency care during the strike.

Dr Popoola works for the National Eye Centre hospital in Kaduna, north-west Nigeria, and lives in the official quarters provided by the hospital.

The hospital is one of the biggest eye hospitals in the country.

Experts say the hospital's location on the outskirts of Kaduna city makes it an easy target for kidnappers.

In 2021, dozens of students were taken from the nearby college of forestry.

Dr Taiwo Shittu of the Lagos University Teaching Hospital said what happened to Dr Popoola could happen to anyone.

“We want the authorities to act fast, this has dragged on for too long,” he said in a video on social media.

The doctors feel the security agencies are not doing enough to secure her release.

The kidnappers are asking for 40m naira (£19,000; $25,000) for their freedom.

Although a controversial law criminalising ransom payments came into effect in 2022, they are still often paid by relatives desperate to free their loved-ones.

The law carries a jail sentence of at least 15 years for anyone who pays a ransom, although no-one has yet been convicted.

The government is yet to comment on the strike or the doctor’s situation.

President of the doctors' association Dr Dele Abdullahi told BBC News that “the family was exploring a diplomatic route initially, but they have now given us the permission to explore other options”.

The doctors' association recently held a march in public hospitals across the country and gave the government a two-week ultimatum for “the unconditional release” of Dr Popoola.

In recent years, kidnapping has become rife in Nigeria, with hundreds of people abducted, largely by criminal gangs who see it as an easy way to make money. It has been particularly bad in the north-west of the country.

By Azeezat Olaoluwa & Mansur Abubakar, BBC

Related story: Police say 20 abducted Nigerian medical students freed

Police say 20 abducted Nigerian medical students freed

Twenty Nigerian medical students who were kidnapped on their way to a convention have been freed more than a week after their abduction, police said.

Gunmen seized the students on August 15 as they travelled to a conference in Benue State, in the centre of the country, and later demanded a ransom.

“We confirm the release on Friday of our brothers and sisters and some other Nigerians who have been in captivity in Ntunkon forest, Benue State,” Nigerian police spokesman Olumuyiwa Adejobi said on Saturday.

State police said in a statement that they had “confirmed the release of the 20 students from the University of Maiduguri and University of Jos”.

The students were freed “without any ransom paid”. The group was “rescued tactically and professionally”, according to Adejobi.

The country’s police chief had this week deployed a “tactical squad” in Benue State as part of efforts to find the latest victims of a rising wave of abductions in Africa’s most populous country.

Fortune Olaye, secretary-general of the Nigerian Medical Students’ Association (NIMSA), also confirmed the release to the AFP news agency. “We’ve spoken to them on the phone. They are safe,” Olaye said.

The students were abducted while on the road in a convoy of two buses near the town of Otukpo, less than 150km (93 miles) from Enugu, which often witnesses attacks and kidnappings.

Armed gangs have been kidnapping villagers, students and motorists for ransom in northern Nigeria, with security forces unable to end the practice.

Thousands of people are abducted for ransom in Nigeria each year, though there are few reliable statistics as many cases are not reported. Cases of kidnapping have increased significantly due to a severe economic crisis which is pushing more people towards crime.

The Nigerian consultancy, SBM Intelligence, said it had recorded 4,777 kidnappings in the country between President Bola Ahmed Tinubu taking power in May 2023 and January 2024.

Al Jazeera

Related story: Nigeria police deploy drones to search for kidnapped medical students

Bandits kill Nigeria Gov’s aide, wife, abduct 28 others

Gunmen stormed the residence of Salisu Ango, Governor Umar Dikko Radda’s liaison officer, in Gyaza village, Kankia Local Government Area, Katsina State, killing him and his first wife. His second wife was also abducted during the attack.

Ango, a former Chairman of the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Kankia Chapter was shot dead by the bandits who invaded his home on Friday, August 16, 2024.

In another incident of banditry in Kankia Local Government Area, bandits on Saturday night reportedly carried out a raid on Tashar Gamji community. The armed criminals moved from house to house, stealing an unspecified number of domestic animals. Residents reported that the bandits also made away with food items and other valuables during the attack.

Also, in a separate attack but this time, on Shirgi community in Batsari Local Government Area, the gunmen killed one person, injured another, and abducted 28 others. The assailants also rustled several domestic animals from the community.

A resident of Shirgi, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the bandits invaded the village on Sunday night, targeting women and children. The assailants shot and killed one ‘Amadu Suru’ while he was trying to secure his animals.

The Katsina State Police Command has confirmed both attacks. While the command has acknowledged the incident in Kankia, it is yet to confirm the details of the Shirgi attack, promising to release an official statement after receiving a report from the Divisional Police Officer in Batsari.

Unlike Batsari, Kankia has historically been less affected by banditry. However, sharing borders with Dutsinma and Danmusa, areas notorious for bandit attacks, has made Kankia vulnerable to occasional incursions. The recent killing of the governor’s aide is one example of this growing threat.

Vanguard

Related story: Fate of pastor, 13-year-old daughter kidnapped in Nigeria unknown after ransom payment

Nigeria police deploy drones to search for kidnapped medical students

Police in Nigeria are searching for 20 medical students who were kidnapped by gunmen last Thursday.

The students were on their way to a medical convention when their motorcade was intercepted in central Benue State. The Benue State police command on Monday said it has launched an investigation into the abduction of the medical students and deployed tactical teams on a rescue mission.

But they said the teams have not reported any success. Twenty medical students from the universities of Jos and Maiduguri and a medical doctor travelling with them were taken on their way to the conference in eastern Enugu State. Anene Sewuese Catherine, the Benue state police public relations officer, spoke to VOA via phone.

“The team has moved but we've not heard from them," Catherine said. "Investigation of kidnap is classified, we don't [share] details or until there's success. There's no update for now."

The abduction sparked widespread condemnation over insecurity in Africa's most populous nation, where authorities have struggled for several years to control violence from armed gangs locally referred to as "bandits."

Over the weekend, the national police ordered the deployment of helicopters, drones and specialized tactical teams to aid in the search for the medical students. The Nigerian Medical Students Association said the abductors, using the students’ phones, issued a demand of about $31,400 to release the entire group.

The association has been urging authorities to secure the release of the students unharmed. The association’s national president, Moses Onwubuya, said students are threatening to protest if their colleagues are not released soon.

"The only response we've been getting is that we should just calm down, that security agencies are in the matter," Onwubuya said. "Calls have been going out through the phone numbers of our abducted colleagues. Students are agitating, we're only trying to see if we can abide by the security guidelines, but I can't guarantee what will happen any moment from now."

According to Center for Democracy and Development — West Africa, Nigeria recorded more than 4,000 abductions in 2023, accounting for 58 percent of the total cases in West Africa and the highest in five years.

Security analysts say a severe economic crisis in Nigeria is pushing more people toward crime and kidnapping for ransom. Nigerian authorities have pledged to address economic problems along with security challenges. Meanwhile, families of victims are hoping their loved ones return to them safely.

VOA

Related story: Video - Nigerian authorities working to secure release kidnapped students

Fate of pastor, 13-year-old daughter kidnapped in Nigeria unknown after ransom payment

 The whereabouts of a pastor and his daughter kidnapped in northwestern Nigeria were unknown after their captors threatened to kill them even after receiving a ransom payment.

Isa Andrew, chaplain with All Saints Protestant Church of the Zamfara State Police Command, and his 13-year-old daughter, Grace Isa Andrew, were kidnapped from their home in Gusau on July 14. Relatives and friends had managed to pay a ransom of 6 million naira ($3,770 USD), only to have the captors threaten to kill him if they did not receive another 6 million naira along with three motorcycles by Aug. 15.

Relatives received a video of the blindfolded pastor making an appeal for payment of the ransom, his daughter standing beside him with an AK-47 rifle strapped to her shoulder as a sign that she would be married off and made to join the assailants.

Pastor Andrew in the video identified himself as a pastor and chaplain who worked with the Interfaith Directorate of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), saying his daughter, Grace, was with him. He said that after they were kidnapped from their home, his family paid a ransom of 6 million naira, but that the captors upon collection demanded another payment of the same amount along with two Boxer motorcycles and a Honda motorcycle.

“We did all we could, we sold everything that we have; sold our properties, sold our car, sold our items; we took loans, my brother took loans, my wife took loans persons of goodwill also assisted us to raise the 6 million naira that was demanded,” Pastor Andrew said. “As it is, fellow Nigerians, I want to beg of you, I want to beg of our nation’s first lady, the mother of the nation, to please come to our aid. She’s the Esther of our time, please come to our aid.

He said his daughter was “being exposed to a lot of maltreatment, exposed to starvation,” and that he was a diabetic whose health was deteriorating each day.

“Please come to our aid, assist us. We have been given from now up to next week Thursday, 15 August, 2024, otherwise I will be executed, and my daughter will be forcefully married out. She’s just 13 years of age,” he said. “Please help us. I need your help. The Lord bless you.”

The Zamfara State Police command confirmed the kidnapping of the pastor and his daughter in the wee hours of July 14. State Police Commissioner Mohammed Dalijan said 53 patrol vehicles had been deployed to various streets in Gusau.

Gusau resident Timothy Soladoye obtained a copy of the video and confirmed that it was his pastor who was kidnapped with his daughter.

“We are still contributing for his release,” Soladoye told Christian Daily International-Morning Star News before the Aug. 15 deadline. “Please let us share and do something for their possible release before the said Thursday, 15 August.”

The video was widely circulated across social media platforms on Aug. 10.

Gusau resident Emmanuel Bulus also sent out a plea.

“Isa Andrew is not only a dedicated civilian working with the Nigerian police but also serves as a chaplain in their church,” Bulus said. “My fellow Nigerians, I implore you, let’s not allow this tragedy to unfold. We must rally together to save Isa and Grace and reunite them with their wife and mother and two other children.”

Pastor Andrew was reportedly abducted eight days after gunmen released parish priest Mikah Suleiman of St. Raymond Catholic Church Damba, who had been kidnapped for 16 days.

In Open Doors’ 2024 World Watch List (WWL) of the countries where it is most difficult to be a Christian, Nigeria was ranked No. 6, as it was in the previous year. Nigeria remained the deadliest place in the world to follow Christ, with 4,118 people killed for their faith from Oct. 1, 2022, to Sept. 30, 2023, according to the WWL report.

More kidnappings of Christians than in any other country also took place in Nigeria, with 3,300. Nigeria was also the third highest country in number of attacks on churches and other Christian buildings such as hospitals, schools and cemeteries, with 750, according to the report.

The Christian Post

Related story: Nigeria police working to secure release of 20 kidnapped medical students

Video - Nigerian authorities working to secure release kidnapped students

The 20 students were kidnapped while heading to a convention in Benue State on Thursday evening.

CGTN

Related story: Nigeria police working to secure release of 20 kidnapped medical students

 

Nigeria police working to secure release of 20 kidnapped medical students

Nigerian police and security agencies are working to secure the release of 20 medical students who were kidnapped in the eastern part of the country, officials say.

The medical students were on their way to an annual convention when they were abducted in Benue State on Thursday evening, police and university sources said on Saturday.

The Federation of Catholic Medical and Dental Students said in a statement that the students were travelling to the convention in the city of Enugu when they were taken.

Fortune Olaye, the secretary-general of the Nigerian Medical Students’ Association, said 20 medical students from two universities, as well as one doctor travelling with them, had been kidnapped.

It added that there had been a ransom demand in return for their release.

In a Nigerian Medical Association (NMA) letter to the inspector general of police, posted on the social media platform X, NMA secretary-general Benjamin Egbo said 12 of the abducted students were from the University of Jos and eight were from the University of Maiduguri.

One of the students managed to share their location, indicating that they were in the Oglewu Ehaje area in Benue State, the letter said.

“The Nigerian Medical Association is deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of these future medical professionals,” it added, saying that swift and decisive action to secure their return was “crucial”.

The kidnapping was also confirmed by Catherine Anene, public relations officer for police in Benue State.

Hyacinth Alia, governor of Benue State, said in a statement that he had “directed security agencies in the state to intensify efforts and ensure the safe release” of the students.

The national police said in a statement that it had ordered the deployment of “advanced helicopters and drones, as well as the use of specialized tactical vehicles to facilitate the search and secure the safe return of the victims”.

The kidnapped students were reportedly travelling from the northern part of the country in a convoy of two buses when the incident occurred, Nigeria’s This Day newspaper reported.

The students were abducted on the road near the town of Otukpo, less than 150km (93 miles) from Enugu, which often witnesses attacks and kidnappings.

Cases of kidnapping have increased significantly in Nigeria due to a severe economic crisis which is pushing more people towards crime. However, official figures are unreliable as many cases are not reported.

In 2022, a law was passed banning payments to kidnappers – but many families say they feel they have no choice but to cough up the ransoms demanded.

Nigerian consultancy firm SBM Intelligence said it had recorded 4,777 cases between May 2023, when Bola Tinubu assumed charge as president, and January 2024.

Al Jazeera

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Seven dead, 100 kidnapped after attack in northern Nigeria

Briton killed in Nigeria hostage release

A British hostage was killed in a military operation in Nigeria on Wednesday which released six other hostages, the Italian foreign ministry said.

Two kidnappers were killed and one Italian hostage was gravely wounded in the operation conducted by the Nigerian army, the ministry said.

The seven oil workers were captured on a ship off the Nigerian coast.

Reuters 

Related story: Seven dead, 100 kidnapped after attack in northern Nigeria

 

Seven dead, 100 kidnapped after attack in northern Nigeria

At least seven people were killed and 100 kidnapped on Saturday night when gunmen attacked a rural community in Nigeria’s northwestern Katsina state, residents and police said on Sunday, in the latest attack against residents in the north of the country.

State police spokesperson Abubakar Aliyu Sadiq confirmed the attack and the seven deaths, but would not say whether anyone was missing. He said police were investigating.

“The remaining men who did not flee are living in fear … and waiting to hear news about their abducted loved ones,” said Muhammad Sani, whose sister was abducted.

Residents said gunmen on motorbikes arrived in Maidabino village in the Danmusa local government area of Katsina, and started shooting sporadically, forcing residents to flee.

Hassan Aliyu told Reuters news agency by phone that the attack took residents by surprise and dozens of women and children were confirmed missing.

“They killed seven people, including burning two children,” Aliyu said. “They spent more than six hours destroying our properties.”

Auwalu Ismail, another resident, said the gunmen first blocked all roads leading to Maidabino before the attack.

“They burned down our shops, vehicles, and took away our livestock. They also kidnapped my wife and more than 100 women and children,” he said.

In recent years, such abductions have been concentrated in Nigeria’s northwest and central regions, where dozens of armed groups often target villagers and travellers for large ransoms.

In March, gunmen attacked a school in the northwestern state of Kaduna and kidnapped dozens of pupils as they were about to start the schoolday, according to local residents and authorities.

Last year, gunmen took more than 80 students in a raid on a school in the northwestern state of Kebbi. 

Al Jazeera

Video - Gunmen kill 10 people and abduct several others in Nigeria’s Sokoto State

Police authorities confirmed the incident with witnesses saying the gunmen attacked with sophisticated firearms, shooting sporadically into the community. 

CGTN

At least 160 kidnapped in hours-long deadly raid in Nigeria

Ten people were killed and 160 others, including children, were abducted during a raid by suspected Boko Haram militants on a remote village in north-central Nigeria, a local official told CNN on Monday.

The attack occurred in Kuchi village, Munya district, in Niger state, beginning at about 5:30 p.m. on Friday and lasting until 4:00 a.m. Saturday, according to district official Aminu Abdulhamid Najume.

Niger state, which borders Nigeria's capital Abuja, has experienced repeated kidnappings for ransom by armed groups, including mass abductions, in recent years.

Najume reported that about 300 gunmen arrived on motorbikes and stayed for several hours, making themselves at home before leaving with the abductees. "They made a fire to curb the cold because it was raining throughout that day," Najume said. "They cooked and made tea; they made Indomie (instant noodles) and spaghetti."

Some of those killed were members of a local vigilante group who confronted the attackers but were overpowered. Najume added that security forces had not yet started rescue operations. "The police visited Kuchi yesterday [Sunday] and left, nothing else."

A spokesperson for the Niger State Police Command did not respond to CNN's request for comment.

"This is not the first or second time Kuchi village has been attacked. This is the fifth time," Najume said, noting that the area frequently suffers from kidnappings for ransom. The kidnappers have not yet made any demands regarding the latest abduction, he said.

Amnesty International said in a post on social media platform X on Sunday that it was "deeply concerned by the abduction," criticizing Nigerian authorities for leaving "rural communities at the mercy of gunmen."

"Since 2021, gunmen have been consistently attacking Kuchi village and raping women and girls in their matrimonial homes," the agency stated.

"The invasion of the village by the gunmen is yet another indication of the Nigerian authorities' utter failure to protect lives," Amnesty added.

Nigeria's security forces have struggled for years to control insurgent groups in the north of the country.

The Kuchi abduction comes two months after 21 people, including a newlywed, were killed when gunmen described locally as 'bandits' stormed a market in Rafi, another affected district in Niger.

At least 137 schoolchildren were kidnapped(opens in a new tab) earlier in March in Niger's neighbouring Kaduna state but were later released after the kidnappers made an initial demand of 1 billion naira (over US$675,000) and threatened to kill them all if their demands were not met. 

By Nimi Princewill, CNN

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Video - Over 350 abductees rescued in Nigeria’s Borno state

Some of those rescued were kidnapped 10 years ago. Most of the victims were women and children.

CGTN

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Police rescue kidnap victims in Abuja

The Police Command in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) said its operatives on Sunday foiled a kidnap attempt and rescued victims in Dawaki area of Abuja.

The Police Public Relations Officer in the FCT, Josephine Adeh, a superintendent of police, said this in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

Ms Adeh said that the kidnap attempt was foiled following an immediate and strategic response to a distress call on the attack by unknown gunmen in Dawaki on 19 May.


She said the Commissioner of Police (CP) in charge of the FCT, Benneth Igweh, led the operatives that swiftly mobilised to the scene to foil the kidnap attempt.

“Displaying remarkable bravery and coordination, the police, in synergy with local hunters, advanced on the assailants, tactically ambushed them at Ushafa Hill via Bwari and Shishipe Hills via Mpape.

“This led to a fierce gun duel where the hoodlums were overwhelmed by the firepower of the operatives, and this forced them to scamper to safety with various degrees of bullet injuries and the victims were rescued,” she said.

Ms Adeh added that one of the rescued victims was currently in the hospital receiving medical attention.

The FCT Police command spokesperson said that the CP had reaffirmed the command’s steadfast dedication to maintaining peace and security in the FCT.

She also said that search operations were ongoing to rescue other hostages who fled the scene during the shootout.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of Dawaki Rock Heaven Community, Tunde Abdulrahim, said the incident happened at about 7: 30 p.m. on Sunday.

Mr Abdulrahim said that the heavily armed bandits numbering about 50, consisting of men and women invaded the community and broke into about six houses.

He also said that about 20 people were abducted by the kidnappers.

Premium Times

Related story: 386 civilians rescued from Sambisa forest in Nigeria 10 years after abduction

386 civilians rescued from Sambisa forest in Nigeria 10 years after abduction

No fewer than 386 people, mostly women and children, have been rescued by the Army in Sambisa forest ten years after their abduction.

The acting GOC 7 Division, AGL Haruna, made this known while speaking to newsmen at the outskirts of Sambisa forest in Konduga LGA after welcoming the troops that conducted the 10-day operation.

Mr Haruna, a brigadier general, said the operation tagged “Operation Desert Sanity 111” was to clear Sambisa forest of the remnants of all categories of terrorists as well as provide some of them eager to surrender as observed the opportunity to do so.

“Our effort is to ensure that we clear remnants of terrorists in the Sambisa and give those willing to surrender the opportunity to surrender.

“With this operation, we envisage many of them will surrender as they have started.

“We also rescued some civilians; as of yesterday, we rescued 386 and I am sure the number will increase by today,” Haruna said.

The GOC, who addressed the troops on the message of Chief of Army Staff, lauded their performance and professionalism exhibited during the operation and urged them to sustain the tempo.

Some of those rescued from Sambisa forest, who spoke, said they were in captivity for 10 years.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that troops from 21 Special Armoured Brigade, 26 Task Force Brigade, and 199 Special Forces participated in the operation.

Premium Times

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14 kidnapped University students rescued

 

Gunmen kidnap 9 students in Nigeria

At least nine students have been abducted by gunmen during a late-night raid on their school in northern Nigeria’s Kogi state, authorities said Friday, the third such abduction amid rampant kidnappings targeting schools in the conflict-hit region this year.

The assailants invaded the Confluence University of Science and Technology in Kogi state, which neighbors the nation’s capital, Abuja, and whisked away the students from their classrooms before security forces could arrive, according to Kogi Commissioner for Information Kingsley Femi Fanwo.

The state has “activated the security architecture to track the kidnappers and ensure the abducted students are rescued and the abductors apprehended,” Fanwo added.

The official said local hunters were helping security forces in “combing” the school area, which is surrounded by bushes in the remote Osara town.

Nigeria has struggled with several mass school kidnappings since the first such incident in 2014 when Islamic extremists abducted more than 200 schoolgirls from the northeastern Chibok village, sparking the global #BringBackOurGirls social media campaign.

A t least 1,400 Nigerian students have since been abducted from their schools in similar circumstances, including at least 130 children abducted from their school in Kuriga town in the northern Kaduna state in March. Some are still held captive, including nearly 100 of the Chibok girls.

By Chinedu Asadu, AP

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Video - Gunmen abduct over 100 people in Zamfara state, Nigeria

The incident marks the latest mass kidnapping incident in the northwestern state of Zamfara. A district head and residents said on Saturday that three villages were targeted in the Friday night raids.

CGTN

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14 kidnapped University students rescued

Fourteen students of Confluence University of Science and Technology (CUSTECH), Osara in Kogi State, abducted by bandits on Thursday night, have been rescued

Bethrand Onuoha, the commissioner of police in the North-central State, disclosed this to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lokoja.

The CUSTECH students had been abducted by the bandits who invaded the institution while they were reading for their first semester examination slated to commence 13 May .

“A combined team of security operatives, including local hunters, who ran after the bandits, successfully rescued 14 of the kidnapped students.

“One of the rescued students told us that 24 students were captured.

“The security operatives will not relent. We are determined to get the remaining students back alive and unhurt,” Onuoha said.

Kingsley Fanwo, the commissioner for information, who also confirmed the rescue, said the 14 students were getting the required attention.

He expressed joy that the rescue came hours after Gov Usman Ododo visited the institution and assured parents of his readiness to rescue everyone taken.

“Our local vigilante men and security agents engaged the kidnappers in a fierce shootout and the kidnappers fled. Some escaped with gun wounds.

“They fled and left the kidnapped students who also ran in different directions to avoid being caught up in the fire exchange.

“Many of the students kidnapped, and even other people in captivity, have been rescued and taken to medical facilities for proper attention.

“Some were rescued in the early hours of today.

“The security agents are currently combing the forests to ensure that all the kidnapped students are found and brought home safely.

“It is unfortunate, however, that in the sporadic gun battle to rescue the students, a local hunter and a security operative sustained injuries. They are currently receiving medical attention,” he said.

The commissioner, however, commended the local hunters and the conventional security agents for their bravery and gallantry.

According to him, the success recorded so far was made possible by the support of Ododo who is bent on securing every Kogi resident.

He urged residents to report anyone with gun wounds to law enforcement agents.

Premium Times

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Video - Nigeria President says no to ransom payment amid spike in kidnappings

Nigerian President Tinubu says ransoms will no longer be paid to kidnappers who have made the crime a business in the West African nation. He made the declaration during the commemoration of the 10th anniversary of the kidnapping of 276 school girls from the town of Chibok in the country's northern region.

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Gunmen abduct 287 students in northwestern Nigeria in latest school attack

 

 

Woman rescued 10 years after kidnap by Boko Haram in Nigeria

Nigerian troops have rescued a pregnant woman and her three children 10 years after she was abducted by Boko Haram militants when she was a schoolgirl in the town of Chibok.

Lydia Simon was rescued in Gwoza council area, about 95 miles (150km) east of Chibok, from where 276 schoolgirls were seized in April 2014. As many as 82 are still missing a decade after the high-profile mass kidnapping.

Announcing the news on Thursday, the Nigerian army did not give details of the rescue other than to say Simon was found in the community of Ngoshe.

Chibok and Ngoshe are in Borno state, birthplace of the 15-year old insurgency that has since spread to neighbouring Cameroon, Chad and Niger, uprooting about 2 million people across the region.

The army statement said Simon was five months pregnant. It was accompanied by a picture of her and her three children born in captivity, who appear to be between the ages of two and four. She has yet to be reunited with her family.

The Chibok abduction was the first of a series of mass school kidnappings in Nigeria, shocking the world and triggering a global social media campaign tagged #BringBackOurGirls. Ten years on, many of the abductees, now adults, have been freed or escaped, but jihadist groups and bandits continue to target schools for mass abductions.

Since the Chibok attack, more than 2,190 students have been kidnapped, according to the Lagos-based geopolitical risk consultancy SBM Intelligence. It said mass abductions had become “an increasingly favourite sport for Nigeria’s teeming armed groups”.

As many as 57 of the women from Chibok escaped in the hours after their kidnapping by jumping off the trucks used to abduct them. In May 2017, 82 others were released after the government reportedly paid million-dollar ransoms. Those who returned in recent years were mostly found abandoned in the forests.

Some Chibok parents and security analysts have said there is little evidence to show there is a special military operation to free the remaining women. It is not known if they are all still alive.

Some of the recently freed women were either raped by the insurgents or forced into marriages, according to Chioma Agwuegbo, an activist who was part of the #BringBackOurGirls campaign.

“We have heard their stories about the amount of trauma and violence they have faced. Somebody who was kidnapped 10 years ago is not returning as the same person,” Agwuegbo told Associated Press.

The cause has largely been forgotten by many of the politicians and celebrities who championed it. On 14 April, the anniversary of the abduction, the local activist collective that began the campaign and held rallies for years in Abuja, the Nigerian capital, said it was still seeking justice for the missing women after “this decade of shame”.

Simon’s rescue was symbolic of the enduring hope that pervaded her home town, said the Abuja-based analyst Idayat Hassan, a non-resident fellow with the Africa programme at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies.

“It’s symbolic that 10 years after, we still got another of the girls,” Hassan said. “It keeps our hope alive.”

Simon’s family are waiting to be reunited with their long-lost relative, as are the villagers of Chibok.

“The government has not told us anything [and] we are waiting for an official call,” said Yakubu Nkeki, the chair of the Chibok girls’ parents’ association.

By Eromo Egbejule, The Guardian

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