ISWAP abducts 13 teenage girls in Borno

Members of the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) have abducted several teenage girls in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

The Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdullahi Askira, confirmed the incident, saying the attackers seized the victims while they were working on communal farmlands in the Mussa district, Daily Trust reports.

According to Askira, the 13 abducted girls—aged between 15 and 20—had gone to harvest crops when the insurgents struck.

He explained that the victims were part of a group of displaced residents originally from Huyim who had been relocated to the relatively safer Mussa community by the government due to persistent insecurity.

“One of the victims managed to escape and has since been reunited with her family,” he said.

“But the remaining 12, mostly between the ages of 15 and 20, are still in the custody of the abductors, whose whereabouts remain unknown.”

Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, who represents Borno South, called on security agencies to intensify search-and-rescue operations and ensure the safe return of the teenagers.

He also urged residents to remain vigilant, pray for the victims’ rescue, and report suspicious movements to authorities.

The latest abduction adds to a troubling surge in mass kidnappings across Nigeria.

The country has struggled with recurring attacks for over a decade, dating back to Boko Haram’s 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction.

On November 21, 2025, over 300 students and teachers were kidnapped from St. Mary’s Catholic School in Niger State, marking one of the largest mass abductions in recent years.

The attack initially reported 215 abducted pupils, but the figure was later revised to 303 students and 12 teachers.

Just days earlier, on November 17, 25 schoolgirls were taken from Government Girls Comprehensive Senior Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu LGA of Kebbi State.

On November 18, 38 worshippers were abducted during an evening service at Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke Isegun, in Eruku, Kwara State, after armed men stormed the premises, killing several people, including the pastor.

These incidents have sparked renewed calls for urgent action to tackle Nigeria’s worsening security crisis.