Boko Haram abducts 22 girls, women in Borno

AFP Friday reported that the extremist group, Boko Haram Islamists have abducted 22 girls and women in two different raids in north-eastern part of Nigeria, according to residents and vigilantes.

During the first attack on Thursday, March 30, the terrorist group raided the village of Pulka close to border with Cameroon where they abducted 18 girls.

According to a leader from Pulka community, he told AFP via phone that: "Boko Haram fighters from Mamman Nur camp arrived in pickup vans around 6:00 am and seized 14 young girls aged 17 and below while residents fled into the bush.

"They picked four other girls who were fleeing the raid they came across in the bush outside the village."

The community leader prefer anonymity due to fear of reprisals.

According to the authority, the assailants were faithful to the group headed by Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, the child of Boko Haram founder Mohammed Yusuf.

Barnawi was named a year ago by the Islamic State gathering to supplant pioneer Abubakar Shekau, who had pledged allegiance to the Middle East jihadist group in 2015.


Another person living in the community also confirmed the occurence of the raid and said the girls were likely to end up as wives of the fighters.

The resident stated that: “They didn’t harm anyone during the raid and they made no attempt to shoot people running away from the village."

The second attack took place outside the village of Dumba, close to Lake Chad, the jihadists murdered a herdsman who had made effort to escape after failing to pay protection money, said an anti-Boko Haram militia, Adamu Ahmed.

“When the Boko Haram gunmen came for the money they realised he had left with everything and they decided to go after him on their motorcycles,” Ahmed stated.
“They caught up with him near Dumba where they slaughtered him and shot dead 50 of his cattle.

“They took four women from the man’s family and the rest of the herd,” he added.

Report said the promotion of Barnawi had exposed divisions in the group, as Shekau had been criticised by some of his cohorts for mass killings and suicide attacks against civilians.

Barnawi and his right-hand man Mamman Nur, who some of them see as the real leader, had assure residents in areas within their control would not be harmed as long as they refuse to cooperate with Nigerian troops fighting Boko Haram.

However, in the past few weeks, the Islamist extremists have intensified raids in areas near Lake Chad, stealing food from residents and robbing them of valuables.

They have also slain several civilians they accused of cooperating with the Nigerian troops.