Some women abducted from communities in Niger State’s Rafi and Shiroro Local Government Areas have returned from terrorist captivity with advanced pregnancies and infants, believed to be the result of forced unions during their time in captivity.
The women, who had been held by terrorists for over a year, were rescued last week by security operatives while being transported in commercial buses from Palu-Waya in Shiroro LGA to another location. Their exact destination remains unclear, with conflicting reports pointing to either Kebbi State or Kaiji Forest in Borgu LGA.
Their rescue occurred near Kagara in Rafi LGA, where one of the abductees reportedly requested to relieve herself and used the opportunity to raise an alarm. Her actions led to their rescue and the arrest of the bus driver, who is currently in police custody.
Among those rescued were four women previously identified as part of a group of 25 kidnapped on February 14, 2024, along the Pandogari-Allawa road. Community members and security sources say they were intercepted while being relocated by suspected Boko Haram fighters.
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A police source confirmed that the women are now in custody at the Niger State Police Command headquarters in Minna.
In a disturbing discovery, ammunition was found hidden in one of the women’s bags. The same source also confirmed that one of the women was identified as one of the long-missing Chibok schoolgirls.
“This is a welcome development,” said a resident of Allawa. “We are relieved to see the return of the remaining four women who were taken last year. But it’s heartbreaking—some of them came back pregnant or carrying babies, the result of forced marriages to their captors.”
However, the trauma of captivity has left deep psychological scars. According to relatives and community members, some of the rescued women now express sympathy for their captors, with a few even saying they would prefer to return to the terrorists.
“Some of them said they don’t want to come back home. One woman claimed she had fallen in love with one of the terrorists and had memorized their phone numbers,” said a concerned relative. “She even said she could contact them despite her phone being confiscated. Her husband is still waiting for her.”
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Mental health experts and local leaders are now calling for urgent psychological support and deradicalisation for the rescued women. “What they went through is unimaginable,” said another resident. “But what’s more worrying is how some of them have been psychologically manipulated. This calls for serious rehabilitation.”
All the rescued women were reportedly married before their abduction, raising complex questions for their families and communities as they begin the long road to recovery.