Nigeria: Boko Haram Kidnaps 40 Women in Adamawa State

Nigerian terror group Boko Haram is believed to have abducted 40 women in Adamawa State.

The mass kidnapping occurred during attacks carried out by the militants in the northern village of Wagga at the weekend, local reports said.

The attacks also killed dozens of people in the towns of Damboa and Sabon Gida and the Shaffa village in Borno State.

The abduction cast further doubts on the alleged ceasefire that the Nigerian government claimed it had reached with the terrorist group on Friday (17 October).

During talks, Boko Haram allegedly committed itself to releasing the 220 girls it kidnapped in Chibok, in Borno, last April.

Enoch Mark, whose daughter and niece are among the missing Chibok girls, confirmed the recent abduction in Wagga.

According to critics and anti-terrorism experts, the alleged ceasefire should not be confirmed as the terrorists' leader, Abubakar Shekau, did not release any official statement regarding the truce.

"The leader is the only person they respect and listen to," civil rights activist, Shehu Sani, who was involved in past negotiations with the terrorists, told Nigeria's Premium Times. "Any statement that is not coming from the leader of the group cannot be said to be credible and will not be complied with by the group member."

Boko Haram, who fights against the westernisation of Nigeria and aims to impose their version of sharia law in the country, declared an Islamic caliphate in Gwoza, along the Cameroon border, in August 2014. The group has been raiding several cities in the north of the country in a bid to take control of more land.

Borno, Yobe, and Adamawa states, where the militants usually carry out their attacks, have been under a state of emergency since May 2013.

The Chibok mass kidnapping has caught the attention of the international media, prompting prominent politicians and celebrities to publicly condemn the abduction.

Hundreds of people have joined the Twitter campaign #BringBackourGirls to raise awareness of the issue, while countries, such as Britain, France, and the US, are helping Nigerian troops in the search.