Mussa District, Nigeria—A recent wave of violence and fear has swept through Mussa district in Nigeria’s northeastern Borno State following the abduction of 13 teenage girls by fighters from the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a prominent Boko Haram faction. The incident, which occurred on Sunday while the girls were harvesting crops on farmland, has prompted a swift and desperate mass exodus of residents seeking safety.
The girls, aged between 15 and 20, were seized by armed militants who stormed the fields. While one girl bravely managed to escape and has since been reunited with her family, the remaining 12 are still missing. The escapee has proven crucial, assisting authorities by providing vital intelligence about the attack.
The community of Mussa was already reeling from the recent killing of five local vigilantes. The latest abduction has intensified the sense of trauma and vulnerability, particularly among rural farming communities who are soft targets for armed groups. Many families are relocating to nearby, more secure towns, fearing further assaults.
Government Response and Security Reforms
The Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Askira, confirmed the abductions and implored residents to cooperate with security forces by sharing information about suspicious movements.
In a broader effort to tackle escalating insecurity across the country, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced major security reforms. This includes the immediate order to withdraw police officers from VIP protection duties to return them to frontline security work.
Bayo Onanuga, the president’s advisor on information and strategy, stated that VIP security will now be handled by well-armed units of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC). Furthermore, the President approved the recruitment of 30,000 new police officers and the upgrading of training facilities to bolster national security architecture.
The incident in Mussa district underscores the ongoing challenges faced by the Nigerian military and government in containing the insurgency in the Northeast, as armed groups continue to threaten the lives and livelihoods of local communities.
