Hundreds of captives freed from Boko Haram mountain hideout

At least 360 people kidnapped by Boko Haram jihadists from a community in Borno state in March have been freed from a remote mountain hideout.

Announcing their release, the army says it had launched an unprecedented intelligence-led operation that had been weeks in the planning and taken the Islamist militants by surprise.

Military spokesperson Lt-Col Haruna Sani described the assault on Boko Haram’s Mandara mountain hideout, “under cover of darkness”, as one of the military’s “most significant hostage rescue operations” in the North-East.

“Faced with the speed, precision, and overwhelming combat power of the advancing troops, several insurgents abandoned their positions and fled into surrounding mountainous terrain, while others surrendered,” he said in a statement.

The authorities say the hostages are receiving medical care.

“Sadly, two infants died due to exhaustion from prolonged captivity and harsh terrain,” Daniel Bwala, a special adviser to President Bola Tinubu, posted on X.

He said the government commended the troops for their gallantry.

The captives are from around Ngoshe, a community near the border with Cameroon.

In early March, the area came under attack from Boko Haram fighters reportedly as people were breaking their Ramadan fast.

On Sunday morning, the military released videos and photos of the freed captives as they sat under trees overnight.

Several news outlets also had a video of a local government official telling them that the authorities were doing their utmost to secure the area so that they could go home to their farms.

He also explained that it was thought some of those captured were believed to have escaped into Cameroon and efforts were being made for their safe return.

Boko Haram began its military campaign to impose Islamic rule in Northern Nigeria in 2009. It no longer controls the huge swathes of territory it once did, but it, and other splinter groups, remains active and dangerous.