In a recent briefing in Maiduguri, Major General Wahdi Shuaibu, Theatre Commander of the Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai, North-East, shared details of the escape of two women who had been held captive by Boko Haram insurgents for several years.
The first, Alice Loksha, was abducted while working at a UNICEF office in Kala Balge. She was captured alongside her colleagues during a Boko Haram raid. Shuaibu’s deputy, Maj. Gen. Kenneth Chigbu, who represented him at the press conference, revealed that Loksha endured forced marriages during her captivity. She was first married to Abu Umar, with whom she had a son, Mohammed. After his death, she was married to Abu Simak, an ISWAP commander. Loksha managed to escape from the insurgents’ camp in Dogon Chuku on October 24, 2024, and arrived at the Joint Task Force headquarters five days later, on October 29, 2024, where she received medical care.
The second woman, Fayina Ali, was abducted in 2020 while traveling from Kaduna to claim her late brother’s death benefits. She was initially held at the Kangaruwa enclave for nine months before being moved to Tumbunma for three years, and then returned to Kangaruwa for another year. Ali was subjected to the same forced marriage practices during her captivity. Both women were commended for their strength and resilience after enduring years of trauma.
Support and Rehabilitation
Zuwaira Gambo, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development in Borno State, received the women on behalf of the state government. She praised the Nigerian Army for their efforts in restoring peace to the region, particularly in Borno State, and assured the women that they would receive the necessary psychosocial support and rehabilitation before being reunited with their families.
The two women’s escape brings a glimmer of hope amid the ongoing Boko Haram insurgency, which has caused widespread devastation, displacing millions and resulting in thousands of deaths across northeastern Nigeria. The insurgents have notoriously used kidnapping for ransom as a primary funding source, making these abductions an increasingly lucrative enterprise for the group.
The military continues to work towards ending the insurgency and bringing peace to the region, as evidenced by the safe return of Loksha and Ali, whose escape represents a significant victory for the ongoing fight against Boko Haram and its affiliates.
