Boko Haram has freed 416 women and children kidnapped from Ngoshe in northeast Nigeria’s Borno state, a local youth leader and a senator said Sunday.
Samaila Kaigama, president of the Borno South Youth Alliance, said his group had secured the release of all victims abducted from the village. He said Boko Haram released them on Saturday.
Mohammed Ali Ndume, a senator from Borno, confirmed the release to AFP. However, he said he did not know how the victims were freed.
The Borno South Youth Alliance had opened communication channels to act between the abductors and affected families. The group did not give details of any agreement.
Authorities in Nigeria deny paying ransoms. Still, analysts say governments and families often make payments to secure releases.
Ngoshe lies less than 10 kilometres from Cameroon’s border in the Gwoza hills. The area sits in a Boko Haram stronghold and has faced repeated attacks.
Kidnappings have become a core tactic for Boko Haram during its 17-year insurgency against Nigeria. Armed groups have also expanded abductions across the country.
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SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consultancy, said Nigeria’s armed groups collected about $1.66 million in ransom payments between July 2024 and June 2025.
Boko Haram’s uprising began in 2009. Since then, Nigeria’s jihadist insurgency has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced millions.
