Boko Haram Islamists Kidnap 'Hundreds' from City in Northern Nigeria

Residents of the city of Damasak reported on Tuesday, March 24, that Boko Haram militants have kidnapped over 400 women and children from this city located in northern Nigeria. Military forces from Niger and Chad recaptured Damasak from Boko Haram earlier this month. According to Reuters, officials have not yet confirmed the number of kidnapped individuals. However, this Islamist group has previously committed mass abductions. The kidnapping of over 300 schoolgirls last April sparked global outrage against Boko Haram's actions and drew public attention to six years of armed attacks by the group. Suleiman Ali, a local trader in Damasak, told Reuters, 'They kidnapped 508 women and children from the city. They killed 50 of them before leaving the city. We do not know if others were killed after they left the city, but we know they took the rest with them.' Nigerien and Chadian military forces discovered the bodies of seventy people last week in a location resembling an execution site, under a bridge on the outskirts of Damasak, where the streets are littered with debris and burned vehicles following recent military clashes. Suleiman Ali stated that his wife and three daughters are among the abducted. He added, 'Two of my daughters were supposed to get married this year. Boko Haram said they are slaves; we will take them because they belong to us.' Another local trader, Mohammed Osman, said Boko Haram has taken his two wives and three children. A 40-year-old local woman who identified herself as Fana said the militants gathered all the hostages in the main mosque of the city before taking them out. She mentioned that she hid her two children at home and managed to save them. Boko Haram seeks to establish an Islamic caliphate in northern Nigeria. The escalation of violence in Nigeria has postponed nationwide elections that were supposed to take place last month. 'Leaving the city is of no use.' Last month, Nigerian, Chadian, and Nigerien forces expelled Boko Haram militants from several towns. Nigeria claims that out of twenty states that were under Boko Haram control at the beginning of this year, 17 states have been liberated. The postponed elections in Nigeria are scheduled to be held on Sunday, April 1. Nigerien forces distributed food among the few remaining residents in Damasak on Tuesday. Some residents returned to check on their homes but immediately went back to the bushes outside the city. Suleiman Ali expressed hope that life would return to normal. He said, 'We have witnessed the worst incident imaginable. After these events, we think leaving the city is of no use. They have killed all our relatives and family members; we only seek refuge in God.' In this context, African countries have 'called for global support' against Boko Haram. The scope of Boko Haram's attacks has expanded to Chad.