MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AP) — Hundreds of hostages, mostly children and women, who were held captive for months or years by Boko Haram extremists in northeastern Nigeria have been rescued from a forest enclave and handed over to authorities, the army said. The 350 hostages had been held in the Sambisa Forest, a hideout for the extremist group which launched an insurgency in 2009, Maj. Gen. Ken Chigbu, a senior Nigerian army officer, said late Monday while presenting them to authorities in Borno, where the forest is. The 209 children, 135 women and six men appeared exhausted in their worn-out clothes. Some of the girls had babies believed to have been born from forced marriages, as is often the case with female victims who are either raped or forced to marry the militants while in captivity. One of the hostages had seven children and spoke of how she and others couldn’t escape because of their children. |
The LatestZendaya's Met Gala style: Her biggest and boldest fashion statements so farBugging equipment found in room where Polish government was to meetEmily Ratajkowski takes a fashion risk in a ripped midriffCongo military releases 2 Kenya Airways staffers held for 2 weeks over cargo disputeZendaya wows in a glamorous vintage backless dress as she attends Anna Wintour's starAnya TaylorCharlotte Crosby rocks a trendy white bikini while embarking on snorkelling excursion in OzCollege protests: ProI survived being 'internally decapitated' after a drunk driver plowed into me