Christian Captives Report Forced Conversion and Sexual Abuse in Boko Haram, ISWAP Camps
Survivors and community sources say women and children remain trapped in insurgent enclaves along the Nigeria-Cameroon border
By Emmanuel
More than 1,000 Christian women and children are believed to remain trapped in remote insurgent enclaves in the Mandara Mountains along the Nigeria-Cameroon border, where survivors and displaced residents allege that captives face forced religious conversion, sexual violence and prolonged psychological trauma.
The allegations, gathered by Globalvoice from displaced residents, community sources and security analysts, point to a humanitarian crisis in an area where factions of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) have maintained a presence for years.
A video circulated by security analyst Zagazola Makama and reviewed by Globalvoice purportedly shows an insurgent commander claiming responsibility for a major operation and referring to approximately 1,000 captives.
“We will not sleep in our homes again until we carry out this jihad as an obligation for us,” the commander says in the footage.
The speaker also threatens further attacks and refers to senior commanders directing the group's operations.
Globalvoice could not independently verify the location, date or circumstances in which the video was recorded, nor independently confirm the number of people allegedly held captive.
Hostages Scattered Across Northern Nigeria
The reported Mandara Mountain captivity is part of a broader kidnapping crisis affecting communities across northern Nigeria.
Media reports indicate that hundreds of people remain in captivity following abductions attributed to Boko Haram, ISWAP, armed criminal groups and other violent organisations.
One of the largest reported incidents occurred on August 21, 2026, when attackers allegedly abducted hundreds of Muslim worshippers during coordinated attacks around Dekara in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
Some accounts have claimed that as many as 500 people were abducted. However, Niger State police authorities had not independently confirmed that figure at the time of reporting.
The differing estimates illustrate the difficulty of establishing reliable casualty and hostage figures in remote conflict zones where access for journalists and independent investigators remains limited.
Captivity as a Weapon
For residents of communities surrounding the Mandara Mountains, captivity has become a persistent threat.
Ishaya Adamu, a displaced native of Gwoza, told Globalvoice that Christian families in the region have endured years of displacement and captivity.
“Christian families from communities around the Mandara Mountains have endured years of captivity under insurgent control,” Adamu said.
He alleged that some Christian captives have been given a choice between conversion and death.
“Insurgents have issued a brutal ultimatum to some Christian captives: convert to Islam or face death,” he said.
Adamu also alleged that women and children held in the mountain enclaves have been forced to abandon aspects of their Christian identity, including being compelled to wear Islamic clothing.
He said his own mother remains trapped in the Mandara Mountain area.
“My mother is still there,” Adamu said.
The Mandara Mountains, which straddle the Nigeria-Cameroon border, provide difficult terrain that has historically offered armed groups places to hide and move away from conventional security operations.
Communities around Gwoza have repeatedly experienced attacks, displacement and abductions associated with Boko Haram factions and other armed groups.
Experts Warn of Long-Term Consequences
Prof. Ayo Adedoyin, a conflict researcher based in Abuja, told Globalvoice that prolonged captivity could have consequences extending beyond the immediate suffering of individual victims.
“What we are seeing in the Mandara Mountains is the use of captivity as a weapon of demographic change,” Adedoyin said.
He described forced conversion and sexual violence against civilians as serious human-rights violations.
“Forced conversion, sexual slavery and the targeting of women and children constitute serious human-rights violations under international law,” he said.
Adedoyin, however, cautioned against portraying the violence as representative of an entire religious community.
“This is not random banditry. The perpetrators are Boko Haram and ISWAP factions. They do not represent Islam, nor do they represent Muslim communities in Borno who have also suffered mass abductions and forced recruitment,” he said.
His warning reflects the complexity of Nigeria's insurgency, where Muslim and Christian civilians alike have been victims of killings, abductions, forced recruitment and displacement.
Kaduna Forest Camps and Borno Abductions
Concerns over prolonged captivity also extend to Kaduna State, where communities in parts of Kachia and Chikun Local Government Areas have reported abductions linked to armed criminal networks operating from forested areas.
Local sources told Globalvoice that some victims have remained in captivity for months while families struggle to meet ransom demands.
The situation has compounded fears among residents who depend on farming, schooling and regular travel between rural communities.
Sarah Joseph, a community advocate, told Globalvoice that insecurity has increasingly affected civilians' ability to move freely.
“Christian civilians in parts of Kaduna and Borno face increasing fear while travelling, attending school and farming,” Joseph said.
She pointed specifically to the reported abduction of pupils in Mussa Ward, Askira/Uba Local Government Area of Borno State, describing it as part of a broader security crisis affecting vulnerable communities.
Joseph also alleged that some abducted women have experienced sexual violence while in captivity.
Families Demand the Return of Abducted Children
The reported abduction of pupils from Mussa Ward has generated growing anger among affected families, particularly as the children remained missing for more than 100 days.
Parents have protested the continued captivity and called on the government to intensify efforts to locate and rescue the children.
A Christian cleric from Lassa Ward, who requested anonymity because of security concerns, told Globalvoice that many residents feel abandoned.
“Churches are being targeted, and our children are no longer safe even within their own schools,” the cleric said.
He said the prolonged captivity of the pupils had deepened the community's sense of insecurity.
“Our pupils have spent well over 100 days in captivity without rescue, and this persistent abandonment by authorities feels like an intentional permission of our persecution,” he said.
The allegation that the government is deliberately permitting persecution could not be independently established.
A Crisis Hidden by Difficult Terrain
The Mandara Mountains and other remote areas along Nigeria's northeastern frontier remain among the most difficult environments for security operations and independent reporting.
For families whose relatives have disappeared into these areas, the passage of time can make rescue efforts increasingly complicated.
Women and children are particularly vulnerable in prolonged captivity, facing the risk of physical abuse, sexual violence, forced marriage, forced religious conversion, indoctrination and psychological trauma.
The scale of the reported captivity remains difficult to establish independently. Access restrictions, security concerns and the absence of reliable records from many affected communities make it challenging to determine exactly how many people remain missing.
But for displaced families, the uncertainty itself has become part of the crisis.
They are waiting for answers about relatives who disappeared years ago, children who have not returned from school and women whose whereabouts remain unknown.
For them, the demand is not simply for greater security.
It is for the safe return of those still being held captive.
