Thirteen female teenagers have been abducted by fighters belonging to the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) in Askira-Uba Local Government Area of Borno State.

The Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Abdullahi Askira, confirmed the incident, explaining that the girls were attacked while working on their farmlands in the Mussa district. The victims, aged between 15 and 20, had gone to harvest crops when the insurgents seized them.

According to Askira, residents of the nearby community of Huyim were earlier relocated to Mussa due to security challenges. The abducted girls were part of the relocated population who depend on community farming for survival.

He revealed that one of the girls escaped and has since reunited with her family, but 12 others remain in captivity, with their location still unknown.

Reacting to the development, the Senator representing Borno South, Mohammed Ali Ndume, urged security agencies to intensify rescue operations to ensure the safe return of the teenagers. He also appealed to residents to remain vigilant, offer timely intelligence to security authorities, and continue praying for the victims’ safe release.