Reports suggest that Boko Haram militants have kidnapped a large number of female internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Ngala, the main town of Gambarou Ngala in Borno State.
According to Daily Trust, a security source has confirmed the abduction, revealing that approximately 113 people were taken.
The incident took place last Sunday when the women went into the bush to collect firewood for their homes and to sell.
They were attacked by the militants in the Bula Kunte bush in the western part of Ngala town. The militants let go of older individuals but abducted around 319 young girls and some boys, taking them into the forest.
Three girls managed to escape and shared their story, mentioning that the militants had taken them to a bush near Bukar-mairam village in Chad.
When the militants were asleep, the girls fled and walked for two days until they reached Ngala.
Most of the kidnapped IDP girls were from Babban Sansani camp, with others from Zulum and Arabic camps. The lack of job opportunities and food in the camps pushed the girls to go into the bush for firewood.
Security sources had warned the IDPs not to go into certain areas of the bush due to the risk of attacks. However, economic difficulties forced many to take the chance, as they had no other way to make a living.
The abduction in Ngala is one of the biggest incidents since the abduction of 276 girls from Government Girls Secondary School, Chibok, in April 2014.
