ABUJA: At least 200 people, mostly women and children displaced by violence in northeastern Nigeria, were abducted by Islamic extremists while searching for firewood near the border with Chad,
The victims had left several displaced camps to search for firewood in Gamboru Ngala council area of Borno state when they were ambushed and taken hostage, the United Nations said, in the latest attack in the conflict-hit region, where frequent kidnappings and killings restrict movement.
Local residents blamed the attack on Islamic extremist rebels who launched an insurgency in Borno in 2009 in an attempt to impose their radical interpretation of Islamic law in the region. At least 35,000 people have been killed and more than 2 million displaced by violence by the militant group Boko Haram and a breakaway faction backed by the Islamic State group.
Many of those fleeing the violence are in displacement camps such as those in Gamboru Ngala, where security is limited to areas near the camp, leaving them to either starve in the camps – amid dwindling aid – or risk their safety in search of food.
“This act of violence against already traumatized citizens is an insult to our humanity,” he said.
