For weeks, families across Borno State feared the worst. Their loved ones had vanished into the Mandara mountains, taken by Boko Haram fighters who have terrorised communities in Nigeria’s northeast for more than a decade.
This weekend, relief finally came. Nigeria’s army announced it had freed 360 people from the militants’ hideout.
Among them were mothers clutching children, elderly villagers, and young men who had been dragged from their homes.
The army said the captives were held in punishing conditions. Many were weak and malnourished.
Two infants did not survive the ordeal, succumbing to exhaustion before help arrived.
Survivors described the rescue as a moment of disbelief—after months of fear, they were suddenly surrounded by soldiers, guiding them to safety.
“They told us we were safe now,” one survivor whispered, still trembling. “I couldn’t believe it. I thought I would never see my family again.”
The military explained the operation. was carefully planned, using intelligence and psychological tactics to fracture Boko Haram’s ranks before launching the assault. Special forces then stormed.
The mountain hideout drives the militants away. For the survivors, the battle was not.
just about territory—it was about reclaiming their lives. They are now
receiving medical care and humanitarian support, while families across Borno.
Nigeria continues to grapple with kidnappings and insurgency, but for these 360 people, the rescue marks a turning point: a return from darkness into fragile hope.