Residents of Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State who recently regained their freedom after spending months in Boko Haram captivity have shared painful accounts of hunger, hardship and the loss of children during their ordeal.
The victims were among the more than 400 residents abducted during a terrorist attack on Ngoshe on March 4, 2026. About 360 of them were recently rescued and are currently receiving medical and psychological support.
Speaking in Pulka, several of the survivors described life in captivity as a daily struggle for survival.
One of the freed captives, Halima Musa, said they survived on a single meal of guinea corn each day throughout their time with the terrorists.
“We ate only guinea corn once a day. If you ate in the afternoon, you would have to wait until the next day before eating again. Sometimes there was no soup. We cooked the food ourselves; they only provided the ingredients,” she said.
According to her, the captives slept on bare ground on a mountain and had very limited access to water.
Halima also revealed that six children died while in captivity due to illness.
“We lost six children there—two boys and four girls. They fell sick and died because there was no proper treatment,” she said.
Another victim claimed the terrorists appeared to have an organised food supply system.
“People would bring food supplies on motorcycles. Some of the food was left there while the rest was taken to other camps. From what I saw, I believe they may have farms somewhere,” the survivor said.
Some of the former captives also alleged that 13 teenage boys were separated from the group shortly before their release and retained by the terrorists.
“They selected boys between the ages of 13 and 17 and took them away. We were told they would remain with them as fighters,” one survivor alleged.
Another freed captive, Khadijat, said the group did not witness any exchange of gunfire or military confrontation before their release.
“The terrorists brought us down from the mountain. They rode on motorcycles while we walked. At a certain point they left us, and we continued until we met soldiers,” she explained.
She added that some of the people released alongside them had spent as much as seven months in captivity.
“We met other abductees who had been there for seven months. They were fishermen who had been kidnapped earlier. We were all released together,” she said.
Some survivors also claimed they saw several Ghana-Must-Go bags being delivered to the terrorists' hideout shortly before their release.
One of the victims, Aishat, said she saw about eight or nine bags transported to the mountain on motorcycles less than a day before they were freed.
“I don’t know what was inside the bags, but it was the first time I saw that many brought there,” she said.
Another survivor, Regene Simei, made a similar claim, saying she believed the bags contained money.
“We saw seven or eight bags arrive on motorcycles. It was difficult to count because they came at high speed,” she alleged.
However, the Borno State Government has dismissed suggestions that ransom was paid to secure the release of the captives.
The Commissioner for Information and Internal Security, Usman Tar, insisted that the operation was carried out through military action supported by intelligence from security agencies.
“There was no ransom payment. The rescue was achieved through a military operation backed by intelligence from the Department of State Services,” he said.
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Meanwhile, Governor Babagana Umara Zulum visited the freed victims in Pulka and praised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the military and security agencies for their efforts.
The governor disclosed that a total of 434 abducted residents have now regained their freedom and assured that the state government would continue supporting affected communities and displaced residents.
While celebrating the rescue, concern remains over the fate of 42 schoolchildren abducted from Mussa community in Askira/Uba Local Government Area three weeks ago.
The Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Askira, said there has been no contact with the abductors and appealed for the unconditional release of the children.
“These are children, not soldiers or politicians. They are the future of Borno State and Nigeria. We urge those holding them to release them without conditions,” he said.
