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Nigeria Hostages Freed
Women and children who were held captive by islamic extremists, and rescued by the Nigerian army, are seen upon arrival in Maiduguri, Nigeria, Monday, May 20, 2024. Hundreds of hostages mostly children whose mothers were held captive and forcefully married by Islamic extremists in northeastern Nigeria have been rescued from their key forest enclave and handed over to authorities, the West African nation's army said late Monday. (AP Photo/Jossy Olatunji)

Hundreds of hostages, mostly women and children, are rescued from Boko Haram extremists in Nigeria

Nigeria's army says it has rescued hundreds of hostages, mostly women and children, who had been held captive for months or years by Boko Haram extremists in the country's northeast

By Haruna Umar
Published - May 21, 2024, 05:51 AM ET
Last Updated - May 27, 2024, 12:29 AM EDT

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Hundreds of hostages, mostly children and women, who were held captive for months or years by Boko Haram extremists in northeastern Nigeria have been rescued from a forest enclave and handed over to authorities, the army said.

The 350 hostages had been held in the Sambisa Forest, a hideout for the extremist group which launched an insurgency in 2009, Maj. Gen. Ken Chigbu, a senior Nigerian army officer, said late Monday while presenting them to authorities in Borno, where the forest is.

The 209 children, 135 women and six men appeared exhausted in their worn-out clothes. Some of the girls had babies believed to have been born from forced marriages, as is often the case with female victims who are either raped or forced to marry the militants while in captivity.

One of the hostages had seven children and spoke of how she and others couldn't escape because of their children.

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