After more than four years in the grip of Boko Haram insurgents, two teenage boys, Ayuba Ishaku and Yakubu Haruna, are finally back home — safe and reunited with their families in Borno State.
Their return is nothing short of miraculous.
According to the Borno State Police Command, the boys, now around 13 years old, were kidnapped at the tender age of nine during a violent Boko Haram raid on Mandaragrau village in Biu Local Government Area on December 29, 2019. That night, families were torn apart, and several women and children — including Ayuba and Yakubu — were taken away into the darkness.
For years, the boys were held captive in a terrorist enclave deep in the Mangari, Tumbun Mota area of Baga, Kukawa LGA. While other children played freely back home, they were forced into hard labour — used as domestic aides, and given basic training on servicing firearms. That was their stolen childhood.
But everything changed on the night of July 8, 2025.
With most of the insurgents out on an operation, Ayuba and Yakubu took a life-altering risk. They made their escape under the cover of darkness, trekking through the bush and unfamiliar territory for four harrowing days. They finally reached Maiduguri on July 12, where they walked into the ITE Divisional Police Headquarters — exhausted, but alive.
The police immediately took them into protective custody. “They were cared for and protected,” said ASP Nahum Kenneth Daso, Police Public Relations Officer. Efforts were then launched to identify their families, and soon after, Mr. Ishaku Gaji, Ayuba’s father, was located. He confirmed the boys’ abduction in the 2019 raid that left his family shattered.
Now, with support from the Borno State Ministry of Women Affairs, both boys have been enrolled in the Borno State Model — a structured rehabilitation and reintegration programme designed to help victims of insurgency heal, recover, and rebuild.
Commissioner of Police, CP Naziru Abdulmajid, praised the boys’ bravery and resilience, saying their survival was a powerful reminder of the human spirit’s strength — even in the most terrifying of circumstances.
The Police Command also urged citizens to remain vigilant, saying, “Always report any suspicious activity. These small actions can save lives.”
As Ayuba and Yakubu begin a new chapter in their lives, they carry with them not just memories of pain, but the promise of a better future — one filled with freedom, healing, and hope.
