Nine hostages escape from Boko Haram

Two women, named Aissatou and Hadidja including seven children, have successfully escaped from the Boko Haram camp after they were kidnapped three months ago at Vreket village in the Mayo-Moskota district.

Fortunately for them, they came across a patrol of the defense and security forces stationed at Lawdaf in the Mayo-Moskota district.

The former hostages were initially taken to the Mozogo gendarmerie brigade. "We must be on guard when it comes to Boko Haram. It is a sect that has several mischiefs up its sleeve and this is why we reinvestigated the veracity of the facts before we made it public”, said a local security source.

The sub-prefect of the Mayo-Moskota district, contacted on telephone, expressed joy about their release and confirmed that the hostages were indeed part of the population under his jurisdiction.

They reunited with their families a day after. According to local security, the victims explained how their escape opportunity came when a severe rain in a village controlled by Boko Haram gave them the opportunity to escape.

Even though the former hostages had the opportunity to regain their freedom, it was not the case with several others whose accurate number is not yet known. For the only district of Mayo-Moskota, local authorities have disclosed that they have reported cases of at least 300.

This is an estimate many consider less than the actual number of those abducted by Boko Haram. This includes the abduction of 80 people Maxi Mabas village on the morning of January 18, 2015. They have still not been found.

At the regional level, the kidnap issue is now excruciating. Families feel the authorities have left them to their fate.

"We have taken it upon ourselves to take steps in finding our loved ones by paying ransoms through intermediaries when possible. But unfortunately, we have nothing, we have been ruined by the incursions of the sect and it is difficult to meet their requirements. Our eyes are now turned to God",said Abdulkarim, a refugee farmer in Mora whose two children were abducted near Lined eight months ago.