(MENAFN) A surge of anxiety has engulfed a community in Borno State, prompting many residents to abandon their homes on Monday, just one day after the Boko Haram offshoot, ISWAP, kidnapped 13 teenage girls, aged 15 to 20, while they were working on farmland in the Mussa district of the Askira/Uba Local Government Area.

Local accounts indicate that the girls were gathering crops on Sunday when the armed assailants launched their attack. One of the victims succeeded in escaping and was reunited with her relatives, but the remaining 12 girls remain unaccounted for.

The district has now largely emptied, with families fleeing at the beginning of the week.

Already unsettled by the killing of five vigilante members the previous week, the community is now on edge as residents await updates concerning the abducted girls.

Sources revealed that most homes have moved to more secure locations, noting that the incident has heightened fears about the exposure of rural areas to armed factions.

The Deputy Speaker of the Borno State House of Assembly, Abdullahi Askira, confirmed the kidnapping and appealed to locals to provide prompt information to security operatives regarding any suspected terrorist activity.

Likewise, Junaid Jibrin, media aide to Senator Ali Ndume, reported that the girl who escaped had reunited with her family and was aiding authorities by sharing intelligence.

“According to information available, the girls were kidnapped while harvesting. Fortunately, one of the abducted girls managed to escape and has returned home safely. She is currently assisting officials and family members with vital information about the incident,” Mr Jibrin said.

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