Ndume seeks rescue of 400 abducted Borno residents

The Senator representing Borno South, Ali Ndume, on Monday urged President Bola Tinubu to intensify efforts to secure the release of over 400 residents of Ngoshe community in Gwoza Local Government Area of Borno State, abducted by insurgents last month.

The victims, mostly women and children, were allegedly taken by fighters of Jama’atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda’Awati Wal-Jihad, a faction of Boko Haram, which overran the community and destroyed homes as well as military formations.

Speaking with journalists in Abuja, Ndume lamented what he described as the failure of authorities to meet their constitutional responsibility of protecting lives and property, despite the military having since reclaimed the area.

He said, “We call on the Federal Government to take urgent and prompt actions to secure the release of over 400 residents of Ngoshe in captivity. We appeal to the President Bola Tinubu administration to set machinery in motion for the reconstruction of the Ngoshe community, which has been destroyed by the insurgents.

“It is appalling that those of us in authority at the Federal level have not met the expectations of our people in fulfilment of this sacred duty of securing lives and property, as enshrined in the Nigerian Constitution. The FG should urgently support the Borno government, which has already released N100m for immediate reconstruction, resettlement and rehabilitation of Ngoshe.

“The President should mandate its agencies like the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), the Ministry for Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and the Ministry of Housing to move into the Ngoshe community to support the State Government.”

The lawmaker also commended the efforts of troops battling insurgency in the North-East and, as a former Chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, tasked the international community, particularly the United States, to beam a searchlight on three flashpoints in Borno State — Sambisa Forest, Mandara Mountains and the Lake Chad region.

According to him, the remnants of the affected communities are willing to return home if their safety is assured.

“From my interactions with the people, they have indicated their willingness to go back to Ngoshe immediately and live in improvised tents before their houses are rebuilt in Ngoshe. The people really want to go back and live in the camp in Ngoshe instead of Pulka.

“We urge the Nigerian Armed Forces supported by the United States Army to ensure that its actions are sustainable, not intermittent until the terrorists have been wiped out.

“Finally, I want to reiterate my advocacy for the adoption of what I call the TEAM. It means Training, Equipment, Ammunition, and Mobilisation of the Nigerian Armed Forces to ensure maximum output from them,” he stated.

Ndume further called on the President to reinvigorate his earlier security pronouncements.

The appeal follows the emergence of a video released by the insurgent group, showing the abducted residents alive. The six-minute footage featured mostly women and children, alongside a few men, as the captors attempted to assure the public of their condition.

According to the group, the video was produced at the request of the Borno South Youths Alliance, which has reportedly been acting as an intermediary since the abduction

The incident occurred on March 4, 2026, when insurgents stormed the Ngoshe community, killing and displacing residents, and abducting hundreds in one of the latest attacks in the troubled region.