National & International News

Reports: Boko Haram May Have Kidnapped Dozens More Girls In Nigeria

By Eyder Peralta

Published October 27, 2014 at 3:16 PM EDT

A man poses with a sign in front of police officers in riot gear during a demonstration calling on the government to rescue the kidnapped girls of a government secondary school in Chibok, in Abuja, Nigeria, on Tuesday.

According to reports this morning, armed militants with the extremist group Boko Haram have continued to abduct young girls in Nigeria.

Remember, earlier this month there was hope that the abductions would stop when the government announced a truce with the group. The deal was supposed to culminate in the release of the 276 school girls the group kidnapped in April.

Instead, kidnappings have continued. As Scott reported last Friday, the group reportedly kidnapped 25 women and girls last week.

Over the weekend, The New York Times reports, the militants may have kidnapped dozens more girls and boys.

The Times reports:

"The kidnappings took place Saturday in a mountain village near the border with Cameroon, a Boko Haram stronghold, said Bishop Stephen Mamza, who is from the area but now officiates in the state capital, Yola. ...

"The gunmen burned houses in the village, slit the throats of four men and went house to house searching for young women, eventually taking away around 60, according to the bishop and local news reports.

"'Those who were abducted are from my hometown,' Bishop Mamza said by phone on Thursday. 'Of course it is credible. This is actually what is happening on a daily basis, only it is not reported.' The bishop said most of those abducted by the Islamists were Christians."

The AP reports that government officials say Boko Haram may not be behind the latest kidnappings. The wire service reports:

"Nigeria's minister of foreign affairs, Aminu Wali, said Monday that Boko Haram has denied recent kidnappings and suggested it might be the work of dissidents wanting to break the cease-fire.

"He said the release of the Chibok girls is part of ongoing cease-fire negotiations, which would not be affected by the latest abductions.

"'There is still negotiation going on and we expect a lot of progress to be made ... And we will make an effort also to bring back those that have been kidnapped,' Wali told a news conference in Abuja, Nigeria's capital."