63 Women and Girls Abducted by Boko Haram Flee

At least 60 girls help captive by the fundamentalist group Boko Haram escaped, multiple reports claim.

The Boko Haram had abducted nearly 70 women and girls from the Kummabza village of Borno State two weeks ago. Of them, 63 managed to flee from the captors.

"I have just received an alert from my colleagues in Damboa area that about 63 of the abducted women and girls had made it back home. They took the bold step when their abductors moved out to carry out an operation," said Abbas Gava, an official with the state vigilante group, reports Nigeria's Premium Times.

He said that the captive women fled when the rebels went to attack soldiers and police officers in Bamboa, late Friday night.

"We don't have the details of their escape yet, but we believe God gave them the opportunity at the time the insurgents came in their large numbers to attack Damboa where about 12 soldiers, five policemen, over 50 Boko Haram members and unspecified number of civilians were killed yesterday (Saturday)," said Gava adding that five women and two girls were still being held by the group.

Government authorities confirmed the report. However, an official announcement is yet to be made.

None of the escapees belong to the group of 200 schoolgirls abducted on April 14 in Chibok village. Following this, Boko Haram demanded the release of their members in exchange for the kidnapped girls. However, the government rejected the demand.

According to BBC, a state of emergency is in force in northern Nigeria after Boko Haram's increasingly violent campaign to oust the government and create an Islamic state.

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