Nigeria: Freed from Boko Haram

Nigeria: Freed from Boko Haram

From Focus on Africa by BBC World Service

June 9, 2026 · 23 min

About this episode

The episode discusses the rescue of abductees from Boko Haram and features insights from a security expert and a survivor of the Rwandan genocide.

At least 360 abductees were rescued by the Nigerian army from an enclave linked to a terrorist group in northeastern Borno State. Most of them being women and children. While the Nigerian Army says the rescue followed weeks of planning and intelligence-led operations that achieved "complete tactical surprise," overwhelming the terrorists and forcing them to abandon their positions and flee into the surrounding mountainous terrain, a different account has emerged. A local group, the Borno South Youth Alliance (BOSAYA) says that it facilitated the unconditional release of the abductees and had been in contact with the militants, while online conversations speculate negotiations and possible ransom. We hear from a security expert. And a Rwandan genocide survivor Sabin Nkusi shares how her experiences have driven her commitment to supporting survivors of sexual and gender-based violence. Presenter: Nkechi Ogbonna Producers: Ayuba Iliya and Blessing Aderogba Technical Producer: Maxwell Onyango Senior Producer: Keikantse Shumba Editors: Charles Gitonga and Maryam Abdalla

People in this episode

Host: Nkechi Ogbonna

Guest: Sabin Nkusi

Topics covered

  • abduction
  • rescue operations
  • Boko Haram
  • negotiations
  • gender-based violence
  • survivor support

Keywords

  • Boko Haram
  • Nigerian army
  • abductees
  • Borno State
  • gender-based violence
  • Sabin Nkusi
  • rescue operations

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Nigerian army, Borno South Youth Alliance, BBC World Service

Places: Borno State

More episodes of Focus on Africa

Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Focus on Africa podcast page.