A faction of Boko Haram, officially identified as Jama'atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda'awati wal-Jihad, has issued a 72-hour ultimatum threatening to execute 416 captives, mostly women and children, unless its demands are met. The threat was delivered in a video obtained by SaharaReporters, in which a masked spokesperson speaking in Hausa declared the countdown had begun on April 19, 2026, and named Imam Abu Mu'min al-Muhajir as the group's leader. The message was directed at the Nigerian government, the Borno South Youth Alliance (BOSYA), and other unnamed stakeholders, with the insurgent emphasizing: "This is our first message, and it will also be the last."
The spokesperson warned that any attempt at a military rescue would result in immediate retaliation, stating, "If you attempt to recover them by force… we swear by God, it will only make matters worse." He reiterated that negotiations had already taken place and demanded no alterations to the agreed terms, adding, "Do not add or change anything beyond what we have told you." The captives would be executed without delay if the ultimatum expired unmet, with the terrorist stating plainly, "We will begin to execute the women and small children, every one of them… They will be shot."
As of April 20, 2026, no official response had been issued by the Nigerian government. BOSYA President Sama'ila Ibrahim Kaigama publicly appealed for urgent intervention, naming President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Vice-President Kashim Shettima, Borno State Governor Babagana Umara Zulum, and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. He disclosed that attempts to reach officials through Senator Ali Ndume had not yielded action, and he also called on business leaders Aliko Dangote and Abdulsamad Rabiu to assist.
BOSYA President Sama'ila Ibrahim Kaigama is calling for urgent action while naming top officials who have not responded to a terrorist ultimatum that threatens 416 lives. The captives include women and children whose fate now hinges on a silence from the very leaders expected to protect them. When a youth leader must publicly beg the president, vice-president, governor, security adviser and billionaire businessmen for a response, the chain of command has visibly broken down. The video was released on April 19, 2026—by April 20, the clock was already ticking with no sign of state action.
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