Over 400 former Boko Haram captives handed over to authorities in northeast Nigeria

© Audu MARTE – A woman, freed after being abducted in Nigeria by the jihadist group Boko Haram, is handed over to local authorities in Pulka on June 8, 2026

The Nigerian army on Monday handed over more than 400 women and children to local authorities, days after they were freed from Boko Haram captivity. The victims were abducted earlier this year in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria.

Since 2009, a jihadist insurgency led by Boko Haram and later by its rival, the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), has killed tens of thousands and displaced millions across the northeast of Africa’s most populous nation.

Mass kidnappings, often followed by ransom-driven releases, remain a common tactic used by Islamist militants in the region.

On Sunday, the military reported that approximately 360 individuals were freed over the weekend. This was not a negotiated release by Boko Haram but the result of an armed forces operation based on intelligence gathering.

An additional 82 captives had been liberated two to three weeks earlier, according to Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, bringing the total number of rescued former hostages to about 434.

The victims were abducted from the village of Ngoshe, less than 10 kilometers from the Cameroon border in the Gwoza hills, a known stronghold of Boko Haram. The locality has suffered repeated attacks from Islamist fighters over the years.

“We thank Almighty Allah for this rescue,” said Hassana Buba, a 43-year-old woman among the freed captives, speaking at the Pulka displacement camp where survivors were handed over to local officials. “We are very grateful and we are also celebrating,” she added.

Authorities deny paying ransoms, though analysts say the practice is widespread, involving both government and victims’ families. According to SBM Intelligence, a Lagos-based consultancy, approximately $1.66 million in ransoms was paid to various armed groups in Nigeria—including jihadists, bandits, and separatists—between July 2024 and June 2025.