In a significant development in Nigeria’s ongoing security crisis, the extremist group Boko Haram has released more than 400 hostages who were abducted earlier this year in a village located in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria.

According to Samaila Kaigama, leader of the Borno South Youth Alliance (Bosya), 416 women and children taken from Ngoshe were freed on Saturday. The release was confirmed by Borno State Senator Mohammed Ali Ndume, who noted that the exact circumstances surrounding the liberation remain unclear.

Bosya, which had acted as an intermediary between the kidnappers and the families of the captives, did not disclose additional details. No information has been provided about potential ransom payments or military involvement in securing their release.

Ngoshe: a hotspot for insurgent violence

Ngoshe, situated fewer than 10 kilometers from the Cameroonian border, lies within the Gwoza Hills—a region long considered a stronghold for Boko Haram and a frequent target of attacks. Since the group’s insurgency began in 2009, and later expanded under its regional affiliate, the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP), the conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced millions across Nigeria’s northeast.