Boko Haram frees corp member after 5 months of abduction

On Thursday, Borno State Government received a female corps member, Halima Umar, abducted by Boko Haram since January, this year, TOPNAIJA.NG reports.

The corps member, an indigene of the state from Gwoza, was handed over to the Borno State Deputy Governor, Alhaji Usman Kadafur, by the trio of GOC 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Brig. Gen. Abdulmalik Biu; Borno State Commissioner of Police, Mohammed Aliyu; and Director, Department of State Services (Borno), Muritala Mamman.

It was learnt that Umar’s freedom came as a result of a coordinated engagement involving key stakeholders, as well as negotiations involving the state government and the Kalthum Foundation for Peace, a non-governmental organisation.

Kadafur, said the step was in line with the state government’s desire to work with strategic partners to open lines of communication with the insurgents as a means of freeing several non-combatant captives of the terrorist group.

He said the insurgents released Umar as a sign of goodwill to a new process of resolving conflicts in the region.