Troops Rescue Two Abductees, Reunite Them with Family in Borno

By: Zagazola Makama 

Troops of Operation Hadin Kai have rescued a woman and her infant son who were abducted during a terrorist attack on Ngoshe Community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State.

Military sources said the victims were rescued during an ongoing operation aimed at securing communities and rescuing persons held captive by insurgents in the Mandara Mountains axis.

The sources disclosed that troops of the 82 Division Task Force Battalion, while conducting a perimeter clearance patrol around the Amuda general area on June 2, intercepted and rescued Mrs. Maryam Muhammad, 20, and her son, Bello Muhammad, aged one year and four months.

According to preliminary debriefing, the victims were among residents abducted by terrorists during an attack on Ngoshe Community on March 3, 2026.

The rescued woman told security personnel that she and her son had been held captive at a terrorist enclave controlled by a commander identified as Saha in the Mandara Mountains.

She further revealed that they escaped after their captors abandoned them following sustained military bombardment and intensified fire missions targeting terrorist hideouts in the area.

Military authorities said the rescue forms part of ongoing efforts to locate and recover victims abducted during previous attacks on communities within the North-East theatre.

Following their rescue, the woman and her child were taken to the unit’s medical reception station for preliminary medical examination and welfare assessment.

The victims were later reunited with their family members through the Ngoshe community leader, Mallam Bulama Kunda, in an emotional reunion witnessed by local residents and security personnel.

Security sources noted that sustained military pressure on terrorist enclaves across the Mandara Mountains has continued to weaken insurgent operations, leading to increased escapes, rescues and surrenders by captives and insurgent family members.

The military added that the general security situation across the theatre remained calm but unpredictable, while troops maintained a high level of vigilance and operational readiness.