Insurgency: ‘My 3 children have been missing for 12 years’
“It’s been 12 years, and I’m still hopeful my children will return home.” These were the words of Sa’adiya Abubakar, whose three children were taken by insurgents when they attacked their village in 2014. Just like her, many parents in her situation hold on to hope that one day their children would return home. For […]
Sa’adiya Abubakar, a resident of Borno State, still hopes for the return of her three children who were taken by insurgents twelve years ago. She is not alone in her struggle, as many parents across the North-East regions of Nigeria continue to hope for their missing loved ones. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) estimates that over 17,000 people are currently registered as missing in Nigeria, with the majority of these cases tied to the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East, alongside banditry and mass kidnappings in the North-West and North-Central regions.
In the town of Kuda, located in the Gulak district of Madagali Local Government Area, Boko Haram insurgents attacked and abducted Sa’adiya’s 35-year-old brother, Mathew Papka, and four other family members in 2014. Despite years of searching, Mathew remains missing. Sa’adiya continues to hold onto hope, marking anniversaries and cherishing belongings that serve as reminders of her missing loved ones.
Similar stories emerged from other communities, as families recounted the brutal tactics used by Boko Haram during their territorial expansion in August 2014. These included psychological deception, religious rhetoric, and brute force, leading to the abduction of young men targeted as foot soldiers for the terrorist group's ideology.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Trust's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
