ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Hundreds of
civilians, including many children, have been abducted and are being used as
human shields by Boko Haram extremists, a top Nigerian official confirmed
Wednesday.
The news of the mass kidnappings
comes as Nigeria prepares for crucial elections on Saturday.
Several hundred people were taken
captive by the Islamic militants as they retreated earlier this month from
Damasak in northeastern Nigeria, Mike Omeri, the Nigerian spokesman for the
fight against Boko Haram, told The Associated Press Wednesday. He said he could
not specify how many were taken captive but local reports say as many as 500
people were seized.
When troops from Chad and Niger
advanced toward Damasak, Boko Haram began taking captives, said Omeri, speaking
in Nigeria's capital, Abuja.
"Boko Haram ... rushed to
primary schools they took children and adults that they are using as shields to
protect themselves from the menacing advance of troops," said Omeri.
"They are being used as shields by Boko Haram."
Damasak, near the border with Niger,
was recaptured from Boko Haram on March 16. The kidnapping of civilians has
only been confirmed now.
The soldiers who recaptured Damasak
found the town largely deserted. Damasak had been held for months by Boko
Haram, who used the trading town as an administrative center.
The troops from Chad and Niger who
now hold Damasak have discovered evidence of a mass grave, Chad's ambassador to
the U.N. Mahamat Zene Cherif confirmed Wednesday.
Almost a year ago some 276 girls
were kidnapped before dawn from a government boarding school in Chibok. Dozens
escaped in the first couple of days, but 219 remain missing. The case of the
missing schoolgirls has gained widespread international attention and spawned
the #BringBackOurGirls campaign on social media.
Nigeria's battle against the Islamic
extremists is a major issue for the elections to be held Saturday. The
6-year-old Islamic insurgency has killed thousands, including an estimated
10,000 last year. Boko Haram has vowed to violently disrupt the elections.
International assistance is needed
for the thousands of Nigerian refugees who have fled the violence, said the
head of the U.N. refugee agency.
Some 74,000 Nigerians have fled to
neighboring Cameroon, according to the agency. Over 100,000 more have flooded
into Chad and Niger. Troops from the three countries are now helping Nigeria to
combat the militants and win back Nigerian towns.
The refugee agency will funnel more
resources to Cameroon, said U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio
Guterres on Wednesday while visiting Maroua, the capital of Cameroon's Far North
region. He stressed that additional assistance is needed.
"Cameroon is today not only a
very important protection space for refugees, but it is in the first line of
defense of the international community," he said.
The U.N. agency says the Nigerian
crisis is one of the most underfunded in the world. In February, the agency
asked for $71 million to assist displaced people in Nigeria and neighboring
countries; already that figure appears to be too low, it said this week. Thus
far, it has received only $6.8 million in donations, he said.
Moki contributed to this report from
Maroua, Cameroon. AP writer Cara Anna contributed from the United Nations.
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