The six women rescued in the ongoing military operations in North East have commended the military for the renewed onslaught in Sambisa and fringes of Lake Chad that led to their rescue.
The women spoke to the News Agency of Nigeria on arrival at the headquarters of the Joint Task Force North East of “Operation Hadin Kai” in Maiduguri on Wednesday.
They said the operations gave them the opportunity to escape.
Suzan Lazarus, abducted in April 2021 in Hong Local Government Area of Adamawa State when the insurgents invaded thier village of Kupre, said about 50 people were abducted that day.
The 28-year-old applicant said her adductors took them to an area known as Timbuktu Triangle before taking them to the shores of lake Chad.
“I give glory to God and say thank you to the military for our rescue, but I am still worried about the faith of others,” Lazarus said.
Also speaking, Jummai Inuwa, who was abducted on the Maiduguri-Damaturu Road on October 10, 2020, said she was taken to the shores of Lake Chad, where she was subjected to work as a slave.
Inuwa said: “Some of us tried to escape but the place is like an island surrounded by water.
“It was difficult to escape because it was very muddy.
“We seized the opportunity to escape when the military bombed the area.”
Another woman, Marta Malu, 25, said she was kidnapped on the Damboa-Askira Road in December 2021 alongside six government construction workers and a policeman.
Malu said: “We were eight.
“They took us to Sambisa and after one week they killed the policeman.”
Other rescued women who lauded the effort of the military included Grace Daniel, 38, who was kidnapped on the Maiduguri-Damaturu Road on December 18, 2020; Maria Adamu, 27, who was kidnapped in Madagali area of Adamawa State on December 6, 2020; and Malakaiya Dambade, 37 who was kidnapped on the Maiduguri-Damaturu Road.
Speaking on the development, the Theatre Commander of the Joint Task Force North East of Operation Hadin Kai, Major General Christopher Musa, said the renewed onslaught under the ongoing “Operation Lake Chad Sanity” being conducted by Multinational Joint Task Force and “Operation Desert Sanity” being conducted by the Theatre Command have been yielding results.
Musa said:” “We have synergy and together we are able to achieve a lot.
“We assure the public that we remain focus, dedicated and committed to our task of bringing peace to the North East.
“Wherever the insurgents are, we will go after them.
“We will ensure that all those being held hostage are freed.
“We thank Mr. President and Service Chiefs for the support they are giving us, which has made it possible for us to be achieving successes.”
Musa also lauded the public for providing useful information to the military and other security agencies involved in the fight against insurgency.