The anxiety across communities in southern Borno deepened over the weekend after 13 teenage girls were abducted by suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) militants while working on their farmland in Mussa, a community under Askira-Uba Local Government Area. The incident, which occurred in broad daylight, has once again exposed the persistent vulnerability of rural populations despite the presence of multiple security formations across the state.
Local authorities confirmed that the victims, aged between 15 and 20, had travelled from the neighbouring Huyim District, where access to safe farmland has become difficult due to years of insurgent activity. Their decision to farm in Mussa — considered relatively safer in recent seasons — tragically ended in another chapter of Borno’s recurring security nightmare.
A Day of Labour Turns Into a Tragedy
According to eyewitness accounts, the girls were harvesting crops when armed militants emerged from the surrounding bushes, rounded them up, and forced them toward the Sambisa axis — a region long known as a movement corridor for ISWAP fighters. The community’s initial panic quickly turned into grief as parents and relatives realized the attackers had vanished with their daughters before any alarm could reach security personnel.
One of the abducted girls reportedly escaped hours after the incident, managing to sprint through a narrow forest path until she reached a nearby settlement. Her escape provided the first confirmation that ISWAP militants were responsible.
Residents say the attackers had been sighted in the general area days earlier but no incident occurred, leading many to assume they were simply passing through.
Government Officials Confirm the Attack, Demand Rapid Response
The Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Askira, who represents the affected constituency, described the abduction as “yet another painful reminder of the reality the people of southern Borno face despite years of military operations.”
He confirmed that the girls were from Huyim but had been farming in Mussa due to insecurity in their home district. He called on military formations in the region to intensify patrols and ensure the abducted teenagers are rescued without harm.
Similarly, Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, representing Borno South, condemned the abduction and pressed for immediate, coordinated rescue efforts. He stressed that these attacks highlight a growing pattern of insurgents targeting vulnerable young women, not only in schools but also in agricultural zones that sustain local economies.
Security Forces Launch Joint Operation, But Questions Persist
Following the confirmation of the attack, the Borno State Police Command, the Nigerian Army, local Civilian Joint Task Force (CJTF) units, and community vigilantes commenced a combined search-and-rescue operation across the surrounding forests.
Security sources said the terrain, though familiar, poses significant challenges, given the complex maze of footpaths insurgents use to evade surveillance. The escape of one victim has helped narrow possible movement routes, officials say, but the search remains delicate.
Parents of the missing girls are pleading for rapid intervention, with many expressing frustration that such an attack was possible at a time when increased surveillance had been promised across farming settlements.
A Disturbing Pattern: Rural Women Under Threat
The abduction highlights a troubling evolution in ISWAP’s operational tactics. Instead of focusing primarily on large-scale raids or attacks on strategic infrastructure, the group has increasingly turned to targeting female farmers, knowing that rural communities rely heavily on women for agricultural labour.
For many families in Huyim and Mussa, farming is not merely an occupation — it is their only surviving source of livelihood after years of displacement, loss, and insurgent disruption.
Will the Girls Be Rescued? The Nation Waits for Answers
As the search continues, families are torn between hope and despair. Every passing hour without concrete progress fuels anxiety, especially among mothers who fear the worst.
Yet, in the midst of fear, the courage of the escaped girl stands as a beacon — a reminder that survival is possible, and that timely intervention could bring the remaining girls home.
What remains unclear is whether security agencies can mobilize the speed, strategy, and coordination required to outmaneuver insurgents who often move with ruthless efficiency.
