A faction of Boko Haram known as Jama'atu Ahlis-Sunna Lidda'Awati Wal-Jihad (JAS) has agreed to release 50 women and children out of 416 abducted in Borno State. The agreement follows weeks of mediation by the Borno South Youth Alliance (BOSYA), whose president, Samaila Ibrahim Kaigam, confirmed the conditional deal on Tuesday evening. A voice note obtained by SaharaReporters features a JAS representative stating the captives have been scattered, with some taken nearly 200 kilometres apart, making collection difficult. "Before we can gather them in one place is a work. I don't have time to gather them right now," the voice note says.
Kaigam said families and well-wishers must contribute an unspecified amount of money toward the release, with contributors' names recorded for prioritisation. The arrangement, approved by JAS leadership, marks a drop from an earlier demand of ₦5 billion. The BOSYA president commended the Nigerian Army for its role, saying its commitment surpassed that of elected political figures. However, the group warned that the fate of the remaining 366 captives is uncertain. JAS claims negotiations collapsed after a five-day ultimatum expired, with a spokesperson declaring in a video, "there is no more discussion." The insurgents threatened to execute those they cannot keep and possibly record such acts.
BOSYA has appealed to Nigerians, especially Southern Borno indigenes, and the international community to support the fundraising effort.
Boko Haram's claim that captives are too scattered to retrieve contradicts its earlier ability to hold 416 people together under state siege. If the group can disperse hostages across 200 kilometres, it implies ongoing operational reach in areas supposedly under military control. Southern Borno families now face paying for freedom after years of state neglect. The army's praised persistence has not prevented a terror faction from dictating terms from the shadows.
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