How Nigerian Nurse Escaped ISWAP After 6 Years, 2 Forced Marriages

Alice Loksha, a nurse who was kidnapped by Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) terrorists six years ago, has been released, marking the end of her long and harrowing ordeal.

Loksha was abducted on March 1, 2018, while working at a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) facility in Rann, Borno State. She regained her freedom after managing to escape from her captors.

Speaking to reporters at Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri on Friday, Deputy Theatre Commander of the Joint Task Force (JTF) Operation Hadin Kai, Kenneth Chigbu, confirmed that Loksha was found in Geidam, Yobe State, on October 24, 2024. Chigbu explained that the 42-year-old nurse had endured unimaginable suffering during her captivity, including being forced into two marriages with ISWAP commanders.

Loksha’s kidnapping took place alongside two other female health workers during an attack on the UNICEF facility in 2018. The whereabouts of the other two women remain unknown. Chigbu provided more details about Loksha’s ordeal, revealing that after her abduction, she was first taken to Tumbuma, where she was held for two days. She was then moved to Kwalleram, where she spent seven months and was forced to marry a terrorist leader named Abu Umar. The marriage resulted in the birth of a son, Muhammad. However, Abu Umar was killed in a gunfight with troops in 2022, allegedly by his own colleagues.

After the death of Abu Umar, Loksha was forced into another marriage with a different ISWAP commander, Abu Simak, in 2022. But Simak was later banished by his fellow terrorists to Dogon Chukwu camp, where Loksha finally managed to escape. She made her way through the Diffa axis to Geidam, where she reported to JTF troops on October 29, 2024. Loksha has since received medical attention and humanitarian support.

Chigbu also confirmed the escape of Fayina Ali, the younger sister of the late Army officer Samuel Andrew, who was abducted by ISWAP terrorists on October 19, 2022. Fayina had been traveling to Maiduguri to process her late brother’s death benefits when she was kidnapped. She was held captive at various locations, including the Kangarwa enclave, for a total of four years before managing to escape.

Both Loksha and Fayina were received by Zuwaira Gambo, the Borno State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, on behalf of the state government. Gambo assured the military that both women would receive proper care, including psychosocial support and rehabilitation, before being reunited with their families.

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