The Nigerian military has rescued numerous individuals, including women and children, who had been kidnapped by Boko Haram in Nigeria.They were kept in the forest for a long time.
The extremist group held 350 people captive in the Sambisa Forest. The group started fighting in 2009. GeneralKen Chigbu, a high-ranking officer in the Nigerian army, said on Monday that he handed over the people to the authorities in Borno, where the forest is located.
209 kids, 135 ladies, and six men looked tired in their old clothes. Some girls had babies from forced marriages or being raped while in captivity by the militants.
One of the hostages had seven kids and said they couldn’t get away because of their children.
Hajara Umara said, “I always wanted to leave, but I couldn’t because of my children. ” She and her children were rescued. “If they found out you tried to run away, they would hurt you and keep you locked up forever. ”
The army saved the hostages after a long operation in Sambisa Forest. The forest used to be a busy place but now it’s where Boko Haram and its groups attack people and security forces in nearby countries.
The people who were released were taken in trucks to the Borno state government house. The government will take care of them until they can go back home.
The army said that some extremists were killed during the rescue and their temporary houses were destroyed.
Boko Haram, a group of rebels in Nigeria, started a war in 2009 to make Islamic Shariah law the law of the land. At least 35,000 people have died and 2.1 million people had to leave their homes because of violent extremists in Nigeria, as per the UN.
Since the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls in 2014, Boko Haram militants have taken at least 1,400 students from Nigerian schools. Recently, many kidnappings have been happening in the northwestern and central parts of the country, where armed groups often take villagers and travelers and ask for money to release them.
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Hundreds of hostages rescued from Boko Haram extremists in Nigeria
