Boko Haram kidnaps dozens of women in Nigeria

By Timothy Olanrewaju

MAIDUGURI, Nigeria (AA) - Dozens of women have been kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria's volatile northeast region, security sources said Wednesday.

More than 30 women taking shelter at a camp for victims of terror attacks in Gamboru-Ngala, a town on the border with Cameroon, were abducted, Mustapha Goni, a security volunteer and vigilante told Anadolu.

The women went to the bush to fetch firewood when they were abducted, added Goni.

The military and other security agencies have launched a search and rescue operation, according to a military source.

The military did not immediately respond to Anadolu’s request for details about the abduction.

Boko Haram, a terror group which seeks to establish its territory in the northeastern region of Nigeria since 2009, has claimed responsibility for a series of abductions of women.

In April 2014, the group abducted 276 schoolgirls from a public school in Chibok in northeastern Borno State. The abduction triggered global outrage.

Another 110 students were abducted four years later at the Dapchi school, 314 kilometers (191 miles) from the Chibok abduction.