Nine out of the 102 Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) from Gamboru-Ngala, Borno State, who were reportedly taken by Boko Haram insurgents while gathering firewood in the bush on Sunday, March 4, have now returned home.
Media reports, corroborated by locals and confirmed by the United Nations, initially stated that the young IDPs were abducted by terrorists. However, the Borno State government dismissed this narrative, suggesting instead that they had simply lost their way back home from the wilderness.
Dr. Barkindo Mohammed Saidu, the Director-General of Borno State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA), led the state government’s fact-finding team to Ngala following the reported abduction. He stated to the press in Maiduguri on Friday, March 8, that they did not believe the IDPs were abducted, as no ransom demands had been made.
As of Sunday, March 10, there had been no indication from any authority about ransom demands. Dr. Saidu informed The Press that nine of the missing IDPs had returned to the camp on Friday, March 8, and instructed officials in Ngala to remain vigilant for any further returns.
Dr. Saidu emphasized that the state government had refrained from providing specific numbers because they doubted the accuracy of the IDPs’ accounts, citing a lack of trust between the IDPs, government, and NGOs. He expressed skepticism about the abduction narrative and the reported numbers.
Efforts to obtain a military update from the spokesperson for 7 Division, Lt. Col. Ajemusu Jingina, were unsuccessful at the time of reporting.
