MOSCOW, August 17 (RIA Novosti) – Chadian troops have released about 85 Nigerians abducted by Boko Haram militants in the north-east of Nigeria last weekend, Agence France-Presse reported quoting security and human rights sources.
“We received communication from our Chadian counterparts of the interception of a convoy of buses carrying 85 Nigerians believed to have been kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists from Baga,” a senior security official in the city of Maiduguri said in an interview with the agency Saturday.
The source elaborated that the convoy headed by six Boko Haram fighters was stopped for a routine check on the border
According to an official of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Maiduguri, the Chadian troops rescued 65 men and 22 women. More than 30 are believed to still be held by the rebels.
Boko Haram is a radical group, which wants to create an Islamic state in mainly Muslim northern Nigeria. Boko Haram militants are believed to be the masterminds behind most terrorist attacks carried out in the country. Last year, Nigeria’s President Goodluck Jonathan declared a state of emergency in parts of the country following a spate of Boko Haram attacks.
In April 2014, Boko Haram abducted more than 270 Nigerian schoolgirls and now threatens the stability of the entire region. The head of the Islamist group offered to swap girls for the arrested terrorists but Nigerian authorities declined the deal. Currently, 57 schoolgirls have reunited with their families, 219 are still captives.
