Nigerian Army Praised for Rescuing 4 Abductees on May 29
By Mike James Odeh
Under the scorching sun of May 30, 2025, Martha Mayaki, 38, joined eight other women in Gonan Rogo, Doka district, to begin the planting season—sowing beniseed, millet, corn, and rice. But by afternoon, their agricultural efforts were violently interrupted.
“It was with joy that we began work on our farms,” Mayaki said. “But that joy didn’t last long.”
Around 2:00 p.m., a group of ten armed men on motorcycles stormed the fields, brandishing AK-47 rifles. Speaking in Hausa but communicating among themselves in Fulfulde, they ordered the women to drop their tools and follow them. According to Mayaki, their language and tactics suggest affiliation with Fulani militant groups.
When one of the women, Madam Esther Jeji, resisted, the gang leader fired warning shots and threatened to kill her. Soon, another wave of attackers arrived—ten more motorcycles, each carrying an armed man. The captives were forced onto the bikes and driven away.
Mayaki narrowly escaped through the bush, where she encountered another woman, Lami Makori, who had also fled.
“I was lucky,” Mayaki said. “But many others were not.”
Gonan Rogo: A Community Under Siege
Located about 35 miles southeast of Kaduna city in Kajuru Local Government Area, Gonan Rogo is a predominantly Christian, agrarian community of Adara (Kadara) people. Residents farm maize, millet, yams, and ginger, while also rearing livestock and trading small goods. Chronic underdevelopment and frequent attacks by armed men have left the community vulnerable.
Yakubu Alhassan, traditional ruler of the Doka precinct, confirmed the abduction of 10 women in the attack, but two of them escaped. Those still with kidnappers are the following:
1. Dorathy Raymond
2. Lami Dauda
3. Rahab Hosea
4. Sarah Hosea
5. Genic Dennis
6. Arofa Irimiya
7. Hauwa Ishaya
8. Florence Pius
As of the time of filing this report, no contact has been made by the kidnappers, and no ransom demands have been issued.
Women Exploited in Captivity
Security experts warn that such abductions are part of a broader strategy used by terror groups operating across Nigeria.
“These women are likely being used as sex slaves and domestic workers,” said David Onyilokwu Idah of the International Human Rights Commission in Abuja. “With supply routes cut off, terrorists now raid villages for human labor—especially women—to cook, clean, and provide other services. What begins as forced labor often ends in sexual slavery and repeated abuse.”
Eyewitnesses in Gonan Rogo supported this claim. Moses Sale, a 50-year-old farmer, said, “We’ve seen them take nurses, health workers, and teenage girls. Sometimes they demand ransom, but often it’s for unpaid labor and exploitation.”
Ishaya Audu, 38, added: “They use these women to sustain their camps—cooking, farming, and enduring abuse.”
Libere Village: Another Attack
Just a day earlier, in the early hours of May 29, armed men attacked Libere village, also in Kajuru, abducting nine people—three of them women.
Bala Yero, traditional ruler of Libere, said the assault was coordinated and targeted the community’s breadwinners.
He listed the names of those abducted:
1. Mai’unguwa Bulu
2. Ishaya Danguma
3. Rabi Danbarka
4. Shata Yahaya
5. Isiya Dallatu
6. Leviticus Ahmadu
7. Saminu Yusuf
8. Iliya Dallatu
9. Naziru Rabe
Yero said many farmers in Libere and nearby Afogo now avoid their fields due to fear of further attacks.
“There is no military outpost here, so terrorists operate with impunity,” he said. “They raid, kidnap, and steal unopposed.”
Military Response and Local Demands
Yero commended the Nigerian Army for responding swiftly to a separate attack on May 29, during which four abducted residents were rescued and stolen livestock recovered following a gun battle.
However, he noted that the responding troops were stationed in another district, underscoring the lack of permanent military presence in the area.
“We need a Forward Operating Base here urgently. Without it, we remain defenseless,” he said.
Southern Kaduna Under Siege
Southern Kaduna has become one of Nigeria’s most volatile regions, plagued by coordinated attacks from Fulani terror groups, bandits, and criminal gangs. With limited government presence and weak infrastructure, communities are increasingly exposed.
Farms are abandoned. Markets are shrinking. Entire villages are at risk of depopulation.
“We live in fear every day,” said one village leader. “Our lands are no longer safe. If the government doesn’t act decisively, we may be forced to flee our ancestral homes.”
Despite repeated assurances from federal authorities, residents say meaningful action is yet to materialize.
Official Responses
TruthNigeria contacted the Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, Mansir Hassan, who said the command had not yet received an official report on the incidents.
Attempts to reach the Nigerian Army spokesperson were unsuccessful, as calls went unanswered. However, the Public Relations Officer of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) did respond to inquiries but declined to provide details at the time of filing this report.
Ungoverned Spaces
Residents of Libere, Afogo, and Gonan Rogo described their communities as lawless and neglected.
“Terrorists roam freely, extorting farmers and killing at will,” said one local. “The government is absent. We are living in ungoverned spaces.”
Yero echoed the sentiment: “We are appealing for help. If nothing is done, our communities will collapse.”
As of this report, 17 individuals—11 women and 6 men—remain in captivity. No ransom demands have been issued, and no confirmed updates on rescue efforts have emerged.
Mike James Odeh is a Kaduna based Conflict Reporter for TruthNigeria.
