Crime
Borno missing children rise as Boko Haram steps up recruitment
Some residents who spoke on Sunday recounted the agony of their missing loved ones and expressed the fear that the rise in child disappearance cases in the state may be linked to insurgent recruitment efforts.
The development comes as the #BringBackOurGirls movement renewed calls for the Nigerian government to release the findings of the fact-finding committee on the 2014 Chibok schoolgirls’ abduction.
With 78 girls still unaccounted for more than a decade later, the group urged transparency and accountability in the search for those still missing.
A video of a boy, around 10 years old, confessing to undergoing arms training along with approximately 30 other yet-to-be-identified children in a forest near Ajiri in Mafa Local Government Area of Borno State, went viral on social media at the weekend.
The video, posted by Zagazola Makama on X and reportedly recorded on January 22, 2025, captured the boy demonstrating his knowledge of handling firearms.
He confessed that he and other children of similar age were receiving military drills deep inside the forest.
“They are training us on weapons handling. Ali Shehu, Umar, Alhaji, and Malam Oro are the ones training us. We are at least 20 to 30. We are all young boys; some are bigger than me, while I am older than some of them,” the boy stated.
To support his claims, the child was handed an AK-47 rifle, which he expertly stripped and reassembled with near-perfect precision.
He also unloaded and reloaded a magazine, displaying an alarming level of proficiency in handling the weapon.
Some of the residents lamented the increasing rate of missing children in the state, an occurrence they alleged might be connected with the trending video.
One of the residents and a mother of two in Mafa, a location close to the Ajiri forest allegedly said to be the camping area for the children, Aisha Ali, confirmed the disappearance of her six-year-old child for over three years without trace.
“Around February 2022, my last born, Mustapha went missing. At the time, he was just six years old. It was during the late evening. All of a sudden, his whereabouts could not be traced, the last thing I remembered was seeing him eating while I was going to a friend’s place around 3 pm.”
She added, “Upon my return, I learnt he stepped out. We searched and searched. Just like a joke, we could not find him again. In fact, we just concluded he is dead because his whereabouts remain a mystery we can’t explain.”
Another resident in Maiduguri, the state capital, Muhammad Mamman, expressed concern as he narrated a recent experience.
“Around early last year, my brother lost his child, not that the baby girl died. She was just four years or so at the time. She just went missing. We immediately announced on the radio, yet she was nowhere to be found to date. Either dead or alive, we can’t explain,” he said.
To corroborate these experiences, an announcer in one of the popular radio stations in Borno State, who pleaded not to be identified because he was not authorised to speak on the matter, said in two weeks, at least one announcement on a missing child would be made.
“We have always announced cases of missing children. I can say at least we see such cases once every two weeks. This is alarming,” he said.
Other residents called on the government for immediate action, by combing the surrounding forests for missing children.
“With that video, security agencies must rise to the task. These places are not unknown. It may and may not, but we can’t continue to hear cases of missing children on local radio and a boy came out to say that he and others have been camped in a forest receiving training, yet the government will be comfortable,” Umar Abdulrahman, a resident said.
When contacted, the state police command said there had been at least one reported case of missing children every week in the state.
In an interview, the spokesperson of the command, Nahum Daso, said many such cases had been resolved in the past with a few still ongoing.
“Yes, there have always been cases of missing children. In aggregate, we can say at least one per week.
“Often, we do get the children back. I don’t have the current statistics with me, but we have reunited many missing children with their families.
Reacting to the video, Daso dismissed the recency of the claims, saying the act of using children as foot soldiers was in the past.
“You know, some of these clips are mostly old ones. From us, we don’t have any threat in regards to maybe children being used as child soldiers, but it used to be in the past. For over a decade, we have not recorded any cases like that,” he said.
Also reacting, the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security, Brig Gen Abdullahi Sabi Ishaq (retd.), said such operations were usually perpetrated by members of the Islamic State of West Africa.
“What you saw on that video is not part of the known activities of Boko Haram. That is the trademark of ISWAP.
“They take small almajiri children who are suffering and malnourished, get them to the bush, feed them and take care of them before training and turning them into combatants.
“Does that boy look malnourished? No. It is the evidence of good living they are having there,” he said.
When asked how the state government would address the claims by the suspect that other children were still undergoing training, he said, “You know, the war is still on and the state is using the non-kinetic model while the army is carrying out operations.
“We must acknowledge that the army is doing its best. However, I must tell you that one thing the army is seriously considering is the issue of collateral damage.
“If the Air Force visits these locations and detonates bombs, considering the little children there, the whole of Nigeria will rise and say that they have burned children. So these are some of the challenges.
“As for us, we rely on the army for this type of operation. Our Civilian Joint Task Force cannot handle it, especially as it concerns ISWAP. We relied more on military strength,” he added.
Highlighting the challenges to tackling the uprising, he said the use of traditional methods in fighting the insurgency was a serious setback.
“War is no longer fought as it was in the olden days. There is a need for technology that will prevent the soldiers from moving about in the bushes with legs and vehicles, to minimise casualties,” he added.
In a statement issued on Sunday and signed by its spokesperson, Jeff Okoroafor, the #BringBackOurGirls movement criticised successive governments for withholding the report on the abducted Chibok girls.
“The #BringBackOurGirls movement wishes to remind President Bola Tinubu’s administration of its constitutional duty to protect all citizens.
“To this effect, the administration has a duty to provide an account of the status of the rescue of the remaining Chibok girls to their families and the Nigerian people.
“We reiterate the importance of bringing closure for the families of the remaining 78 missing school children.
“Critically, the Tinubu administration has, like their predecessors, failed to release the Sabo fact-finding committee report, despite our movement’s request including through an FoI process,” the statement read.
The group recalled that on the night of April 14, 2014, 276 schoolgirls were abducted by terrorists from Government Secondary School, Chibok, in Borno State.
Following global outrage and mounting pressure, then-President Goodluck Jonathan set up the Sabo committee on May 6, 2014, to investigate the incident.
The committee’s report, submitted on June 20, 2014, confirmed the abduction, noting that while 57 girls escaped, 219 remained missing at the time.
More than a decade later, BBOG reported that 141 of the originally missing girls had regained freedom, with many resuming their education.
It, however, said 78 girls remained unaccounted for, with concerns that some may have been assimilated into terrorist enclaves.
Okoroafor also urged citizens to join the BBOG to demand comprehensive public disclosure of the tragedy and release of all investigations conducted into the abduction of the Chibok girls on April 14, 2014.
A 16-year-old boy, Favour Ayogu, who was allegedly abducted in Igboeze South Local Government Area of Enugu State, has been rescued in Onitsha, Anambra State, after his abductors reportedly abandoned him near a security checkpoint.
Ayogu was rescued on the evening of September 13, 2026, by a joint security patrol team operating along Oguta Road, Onitsha.
According to the Anambra State Police Command, the teenager was found at Ekene Junction after unidentified persons reportedly pushed him out of a black Toyota Highlander SUV close to a security checkpoint.
The patrol team immediately intervened and rescued the victim, thereby preventing what the police described as further danger to his life.
Following the rescue, the Command said it had intensified surveillance and intelligence-led operations to identify and apprehend members of the suspected criminal gang responsible for the abduction.
The police also appealed to residents of Igboeze South and Ibagwa-Aka in Enugu State who may have useful information about Ayogu or his family to contact the nearest police station or the Anambra State Police Command in Awka.
The Commissioner of Police, Anambra State, CP Nnanna Oji Ama, commended the security personnel involved in the rescue and directed officers to sustain strategic checkpoints, intelligence-led patrols and coordinated security operations across the state.
The Command assured residents and visitors that it would continue to intensify efforts to prevent criminal elements from using Anambra as a safe haven.
At least nine passengers have been killed after gunmen opened fire on a commercial bus at Dungus Junction in Kuru community, Jos South Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The attack reportedly occurred around 9:40 p.m. when the bus, which was travelling towards Jos, stopped at the junction to drop off some passengers.
Several other passengers were reportedly injured in the attack and rushed to hospitals for treatment.
Lawan Suleiman, a neighbour and teacher of one of the victims, identified the driver as Ibrahim and said three of the victims were from his community in Bukuru.
“The driver is Ibrahim and he was my student. Three of them are from our community here in Bukuru. Their bodies have been deposited at the hospital. But relatives are preparing to collect them for burial,” Suleiman said.
The bus was reportedly riddled with bullets, with bloodstains visible inside the vehicle after the attack.
Rwang Tengwong, spokesman for the Berom Youth Moulders (BYM), also confirmed the incident, saying the victims were passengers travelling to Jos when the attackers opened fire on the vehicle.
Tengwong said one of those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow.
“The incident happened around 9.40 p.m. The victims were all passengers travelling to Jos when the terrorists opened fire on the vehicle. Among those killed was a member of Operation Rainbow. It is a very sad development and we lament the loss of lives,” he said.
He added that some passengers sustained gunshot injuries and were taken to hospitals, while some of the injured reportedly later died.
The attack has raised fresh concerns over the safety of commuters travelling along the route at night amid continuing security challenges in parts of Plateau State.
As of the time of filing this report, the Plateau State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
The Enugu State Police Command has ordered an investigation into two separate incidents of alleged disruption of political gatherings in Nkanu West Local Government Area of the state.
The incidents reportedly occurred on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Ndiuno-Obuoffia community and St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the Command’s spokesperson, SP Daniel Ndukwe, said the Commissioner of Police, CP Mamman Bitrus Giwa, directed the Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to thoroughly investigate the incidents and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
According to the statement, armed hoodlums allegedly disrupted a National Democratic Congress (NDC) ward meeting at Ndiuno-Obuoffia with sporadic gunshots, leaving two attendees injured.
In a separate incident at St. Joseph Primary School, Agbani, hoodlums allegedly destroyed canopies and chairs arranged for a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rally.
The police said operatives were promptly deployed to both locations after receiving reports of the incidents to prevent further breaches of peace and track down the fleeing suspects.
The Command, however, noted that neither of the political gatherings had been formally brought to the attention of the police for security coverage.
CP Giwa reiterated his warning that all political activities in the state must be conducted peacefully and in accordance with the law.
He stressed that electoral offences are punishable under the law and warned political parties, candidates, supporters and other stakeholders against violence, intimidation, destruction of property and other acts capable of disrupting public peace or the electoral process.
The Commissioner urged political parties and other stakeholders to notify the police ahead of campaigns, meetings, rallies and other political gatherings to enable the Command to make adequate security arrangements.
He assured residents that the police would continue to maintain a peaceful and secure environment for lawful political activities while dealing decisively with anyone found violating the law.
The Sokoto State Police Command has confirmed the death of a man who was allegedly stabbed by a suspected attacker after Friday prayers in Sokoto.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Rufa’i Ahmad, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday that the deceased was among those involved in the incident that followed the stabbing of prominent Islamic cleric, Malam Musa Lukuwa.
According to Ahmad, the suspect used a knife to stab Lukuwa in the stomach immediately after the Jumu’at congregation.
He said the suspect was subsequently killed by a mob, while Lukuwa was rushed to Usmanu Danfodiyo University Teaching Hospital (UDUTH), where he is receiving treatment.
The PPRO added that no arrest had been made in connection with the incident, saying the situation was under control and urging residents to remain calm and law-abiding.
The incident reportedly followed allegations that Lukuwa made remarks considered blasphemous against Prophet Muhammad, which had generated anger among some Muslim faithful.
A Sokoto-based gangster, Dahiru Maibarewa, had also reportedly threatened to kill Lukuwa over the alleged remarks, while demonstrations had taken place in parts of Sokoto metropolis.
NAN further reported that a coalition of Islamic groups had petitioned the Sokoto State Government and security agencies, calling for action against Lukuwa over remarks they described as capable of provoking violence.
At a September 4 press conference, Islamic cleric Sheikh Abubakar Yagawal urged Muslims to oppose what he described as blasphemous content by clerics, while calling for peaceful coexistence.
Yagawal, Leader of the National Sufi Council of Nigeria and a National Commissioner at the National Hajj Commission of Nigeria (NAHCON), said Lukuwa’s alleged utterances were unbecoming and capable of triggering violence among Muslim communities.
He said the coalition had called on the Federal and Sokoto State governments, as well as security agencies, to investigate and take appropriate action over the matter.
The Nigeria Police Force has allegedly arrested the General Manager of JKD Television/Hamada Radio Network, Kaduna, Charles Abah, and a security guard following a video produced by the station about Ibrahim Kabir Masari, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Political Affairs.
The station’s management, in a statement issued on Friday, alleged that police operatives invaded its premises while searching for a staff member, Zainab Salihu Yabagi, who presented the video explainer.
According to the management, the officers insisted on seeing Yabagi in connection with the video before arresting Abah and the security guard.
The two men were subsequently taken to the Kaduna State Police Command, the station alleged.
The management described the arrests as unacceptable and called for their immediate release.
Amnesty International Nigeria also condemned the incident, describing the alleged raid as an “unlawful and outrageous invasion” of the station’s premises.
The organisation alleged that Abah and the security guard were arbitrarily arrested, adding that police authorities had been seeking Yabagi over the video and had previously declared her wanted.
Amnesty International said the incident reflected a wider pattern of alleged attempts to intimidate newsrooms and create a climate of fear among journalists in Nigeria.
It maintained that public officials, regardless of their positions, should remain open to scrutiny and criticism in the public interest.
JKD TV/Hamada Radio Network is chaired by Yusuf Mamman, a former Nigerian ambassador to Spain and former spokesman for former military Head of State, General Ibrahim Babangida.
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