Some of the women abducted from communities in Rafi and Shiroro local government areas of Niger State in February 2024 have returned from terrorist captivity with advanced pregnancies and babies.
The pregnancies and infants are believed to belong to the terrorists under whose custody the women were held for over a year, before being rescued by the police a week ago.
Four of the women were identified as part of the 25 persons kidnapped from Allawa on the Pandogari-Allawa road while returning from the market in February 2024.
Terrorists in contracted commercial buses were transporting the group of about 24 women from Palu-Waya in Shiroro LGA to a new location.
While some sources, including the police, said the women were being moved to Kebbi State, others said that they were being taken to Kaiji Forest in Borgu LGA, where the terrorists had directed the driver.
Upon reaching Kagara in Rafi LGA, one of the women reportedly asked the driver to allow her to urinate. During this stop, she raised an alarm that led to their rescue and the arrest of the driver, who is now in police custody.
A police source confirmed to Daily Trust that the women are currently being held at the police headquarters in Minna. He also revealed that a cache of ammunition was found in one of the women’s bags.
Also, he confirmed that one of the rescued victims is among the missing Chibok girls.
“One of the Chibok girls was found among them, and a magazine with ammunition was recovered from one of the bags,” he said.
Sources in the Allawa community told our correspondent that the women were intercepted in two buses last Sunday while being relocated by terrorists suspected to be Boko Haram fighters from the Allawa forest.
One source said: “To us, this is a welcome development, as it has led to the recovery of the remaining four out of the 25 women kidnapped on February 14, 2024, while travelling from Pandogari to Allawa.
“However, while we celebrate, it is painful to note that some of these rescued women are either pregnant or carrying babies, a result of the forced marriages imposed by their captors.”
However, one relative said many of the rescued women would require urgent mental health assessments and deradicalisation.
“Some of the women have insisted they would prefer to stay with the terrorists for the rest of their lives,” the relative said.
Another resident added: “It is confirmed. We sent people to verify, and it was confirmed that some of the rescued women were from Allawa. But these women need thorough deradicalisation.
“One of them even said that, given the choice, she wouldn’t return home because she had fallen in love with the terrorists. She said she had memorised their phone numbers, even if the police had seized their phones. That woman is from Allawa, and her husband is still waiting for her.
“Can you believe that even in police custody, some of these women are insisting they want to continue their journey to rejoin the terrorists? One woman with a newborn even said she could still contact them directly. It’s truly troubling.”
Another Allawa resident, who spoke anonymously, said the rescued women were intercepted while being moved from Palu-Waya forest to another location in Kaiji Forest in New Bussa.
“Four women from Allawa were among them. Their relatives have been visiting them. Some of the women were pregnant, while others had babies. All of them were married before their abduction in February 2024,” he said.