Dreaded and deadly
Islamic sect, Boko Haram have allegedly kidnapped more than 400 women and
children from the northern Nigerian town of Damasak that was freed this month
by troops from Niger and Chad, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
No immediate official confirmation of the
figure, however, the Insurgent has in the past carried out mass kidnappings.
An eyewitness (trader by profession) by the name
Souleymane Ali disclosed to Reuters that “They took 506 young women and
children (in Damasak). They killed about 50 of them before leaving. We don’t
know if they killed others after leaving, but they took the rest with them.”
Ali further disclosed that his wife and three of
his daughters were among those seized.
“Two of them were supposed to get married this
year. (Boko Haram) said ‘They are slaves so we’re taking them because they
belong to us’,” he said.
Boko Haram has abducted between 400 and 500
women and children in the northeastern Nigerian town of Damasak, according to
residents and a military commander quoted by international news media on
Tuesday.
It would be recalled, the Insurgents abduction
last April of nearly 300 schoolgirls in the region stirred international
outrage and drew global attention to the group’s six-year insurgency.
