A 42-year-old nurse, Alice Loksha, who was kidnapped by Boko Haram terrorists in 2018 in Borno State, has reportedly escaped from captivity.

The Theatre Commander of the Joint Task Force, Operation Hadin Kai in North-East Nigeria, Maj Gen Wahdi Shuaibu, who confirmed her release to journalists in Maiduguri on Friday explained that Loksha had been abducted while working at a UNICEF office in Kala Balge.

Represented by his deputy, Major General Kenneth Chigbu, Shuaibu also announced the release of another woman, Fayina Ali, who had been kidnapped by Boko Haram in 2020.

Ali was on her way to Kaduna to process her late brother’s death benefits when she was taken.

Both women were subjected to forced marriages during their captivity. Loksha was forced to marry Abu Umar, with whom she had a son, Mohammed.

After Abu Umar’s death, she was forced into a second marriage to an ISWAP commander, Abu Simak.

Loksha managed to escape from the Dogon Chuku camp on October 24, 2024, and arrived at the HQ TC on October 29, where she received medical care.

Ali’s ordeal involved being held at multiple locations: first in Kangaruwa for nine months, then in Tumbunma for three years, and back to Kangaruwa for another year before she escaped.

“These women endured horrific conditions, but their resilience has been extraordinary,” General Shuaibu said.

Zuwaira Gambo, Borno State’s Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, welcomed the women on behalf of the state government.

She commended the Nigerian Army for their role in restoring peace to Borno State and assured that both women would receive the necessary care, including psychosocial support and rehabilitation, before reuniting with their families.

Boko Haram’s insurgency has wreaked havoc across northeastern Nigeria, displacing millions, causing severe humanitarian crises, and claiming thousands of lives.

Kidnappings for ransom have become a central tactic in the group’s operations, financing their insurgency.