Nigerian troops rescue 11 hostages (PHOTOS)

The security forces have repelled a late night assault, killed 16 Islamic State militants, and disrupted militant supply routes

Nigerian security forces have rescued 11 kidnapped victims after foiling abduction attempts along the Buratai-Kamuya and Chibok-Damboa roads in Borno State, the country’s presidency reported on X on Thursday, citing an army statement. 

The statement said the troops also repelled a late-night attack by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants on February 5, launching a counter-offensive along the Komala and Gidan Kaji axes and “neutralizing 16 insurgents.” 

They also recovered “over 20 bicycles, a large cache of logistic items, weapons, and other supplies critical to terrorist operations.” It added that arrests were made of suspected ISWAP logistics suppliers “conveying [a] large quantity of drugs meant for terrorists around [the] Bukarti axis [the] same day.” 

In addition, two victims were rescued and safely reunited with families. The statement added that troops “rescued 9 kidnapped victims successfully” along the Chibok-Damboa axis on February 9.

The Nigerian Army highlighted the “ongoing efforts to degrade terrorist networks, disrupt their supply chains, and protect civilians across the North East.” 

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Nigeria has long struggled with abductions carried out by criminal gangs and extremist groups, which frequently hold people for ransom. This gained global attention in 2014 when Boko Haram militants kidnapped hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State. ISWAP is a Boko Haram splinter group, which has conducted attacks on military and civilian targets.

Recently, extremists have expanded their operations beyond the northeast. In early February, armed militants killed at least 191 people in separate attacks on villages in central and northern Nigeria, including Woro and Nuku villages in Kwara State.

On January 3, armed groups raided Kasuwan-Daji village in Niger State, reportedly killing at least 30 people and abducting an unspecified number. In November, gunmen abducted more than 300 children and staff from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State, one of the largest school kidnappings in years.

General Christopher Musa, the country’s defense minister, said in December that Nigeria must not negotiate with armed criminal groups. “When people pay ransoms, it buys terrorists time to regroup, re-arm, and plan new attacks. Communities that negotiated still got attacked later.”

READ MORE: Negotiating with terrorists is ‘unacceptable’ – Nigerian defense minister