Nigeria: Boko Haram frees nearly 200 hostages, mostly women

January 25, 2015 | By hromedia | Reply More

Jan 25, – Boko Haram has freed 200 hostages in Nigeria. After several days of captivity, 192 hostages, mostly women, were released by the Islamic sect Boko Haram in north-eastern Nigeria.

They were abducted in a village in Yobe State after a massive raid conducted by the terrorist group on January 6, in Katarko about 16 miles from the regional capital of Damaturu. A total of 218 women and children were taken prisoner.

The captives were released Friday, January 23, said Saturday a local official and a military source. “They brought them in two times in four trucks and left them in the village of Girbuwa, 5 miles from Damaturu, where we took them and delivered them to the government,” detailed a community leader of Katarko.

The raid was conducted on Katarko by dozens of armed militants of Boko Haram, who murdered 25 men and burned homes and shops before taking hundreds of people hostage. This attack was apparently done as a retaliatory measure against the assault by local militias and guards against the village of Buni Yadi, where several members of the group were killed and others arrested, as reported by security guards at the time.

Boko Haram has often practiced mass kidnappings during its six years of insurgency in Nigeria. According to the testimonies of those released or have escaped, the hostages are often sexually and psychologically abused.

Press journalist for HRO media – Norberto Lluch reports.