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The Nigerian President has praised his security forces after over 300 hostages – mostly made up of women and children, were rescued earlier this week in the north of the country.
They had been abducted in an attack by Jihadist militants on Woro, a village in Kwara State, in February. 160 people were killed in the same attack – considered one of the deadliest in Nigeria in recent years. Some of the freed captives have spoken of how they lived in fear for 6 months and had given up hope of ever returning. They did not receive healthcare and one woman described how she had to help mothers deliver babies in captivity.
While the rescue operation has been widely celebrated, it has also defined the ongoing problem of mass abductions – one of Nigeria’s biggest security challenges. We spoke to Bulama Bukarti, a Nigerian lawyer and expert on extremism.
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