NGOSHE — A harrowing new video released by Boko Haram has sent shockwaves through the country, showing over 400 abducted women and children huddled together and weeping as they beg the Federal Government for their lives.
The footage, which surfaced Friday, features a sea of captives—identified as 416 residents snatched from the Ngoshe community in Gwoza—surrounded by masked gunmen. In the recording, the victims take turns crying out to President Bola Tinubu, pleading for an immediate intervention before it is too late.
“We are suffering here,” one woman sobbed into the camera. “Please, President Tinubu, do not forget us. Our children are hungry and terrified. We want to come home.”
The insurgents used the video to taunt the Nigerian authorities, claiming the government has been “refusing to pay attention” to the plight of the abductees. The spokesperson for the group challenged the military’s recent reports of success, asserting that they still hold total control over the lives of these hundreds of citizens.
Despite the President’s earlier orders for security agencies to intensify rescue operations, the release of this “proof-of-life” video has ignited a firestorm of criticism from human rights groups and distraught relatives. Many accuse the administration of being too slow to act while families are torn apart by a relentless wave of kidnappings across Borno and neighboring states.
As of Friday night, the Defence Headquarters has not issued a formal response to the video, but tension remains high in Gwoza as the community waits for any sign of a rescue mission.
