Boko Haram has been suspected in a series of of abductions over the weekend in northeast Nigeria. A local chief says around 30 children were taken from his village over course of two days.
In a piece from Raw Story, the chief explained the details of the kidnapping on Sunday. Naming the assailants as “insurgents” gives weight to the assumption that Boko Haram militants were responsible.
More from Raw Story:
“The insurgents… grabbed young people, boys and girls, from our region,” said Alhaji Shettima Maina, who is in charge of the Mafa village around 50 kilometres (30 miles) east of the city of Maiduguri.
“They took all boys aged 13 and over… and all girls aged 11 and more. According to our information, 30 young people were abducted in the last two days.”
Another village elder, Mallam Ashiekh Mustapha, confirmed the account.
Both men said 17 people were also killed in recent days in a Boko Haram attack on the nearby village of Ndongo.
If Boko Haram is indeed involved in the kidnapping, it contradicts recent reports that a ceasefire between the Islamists and the Nigerian government has been established. Back in April, the mass abduction of the schoolgirls from Chibok placed the region under international scrutiny and launched a mass effort to return the kidnapped students to their homes.
Boko Haram routinely kidnap young women and reportedly force them into marriage under strict Islamic laws.
The Nigerian government has not responded to the calls of help from Mafa chief.
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Photo: Arnold Platon/CC BY-SA 3.0
