…As Govt. hails Tinubu, security forces
No fewer than 176 residents abducted during the February 3 terrorist attack on Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama local government area of Kwara State have regained their freedom, ending nearly six months of anguish for their families and communities.
The Kwara State government announced the development yesterday through a statement shared by the media aide to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Olayinka Fafoluyi, its official Facebook page. “Alhamdulillah and kudos to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, security forces, and everyone who played a role in this huge feat. We are grateful!” the statement read.
Recsll that the victims were kidnapped when heavily armed terrorists launched coordinated attacks on Woro, Nuku and neighbouring communities on February 3, 2026. The attacks claimed the lives of at least 75 people, displaced hundreds of residents and left several communities devastated. Reports at the time estimated that about 170 women, children and other residents were taken into captivity.
Although authorities have yet to disclose how the victims were freed or whether any ransom was paid, community sources said security personnel, backed by military hardware, moved into the forest earlier on Wednesday before news of the captives’ release reached the communities.
A member of the community negotiating team, Aliyu Umar, said residents of nearby Wawa reported seeing several long vehicles escorted by Army armoured tanks heading into the forest, fuelling speculation that the Federal Government had mounted a rescue operation. “We were hearing that the Federal Government was making moves. Information reaching me was that they had been handed over. People in Wawa saw several vehicles and Army armoured tanks heading into the forest”, he said.
The Village Head of Woro, Alhaji Salihu Umar, also said information available to the community suggested a Federal Government rescue team had entered the forest to receive the victims.
Dr. Abdul Ibrahim, who played a leading role in community efforts to secure the captives’ release, confirmed the development, but said the circumstances surrounding their freedom remained unclear.
“Yes, it is true. They are arranging vehicles to bring them to Ilorin. We do not know exactly how they secured the release. We do not know whether there was any negotiation or ransom involved. At this stage, we simply do not know the circumstances,” he said.
The release comes after months of uncertainty, public protests and desperate negotiations by families of the victims. Recall that last weekend, hundreds of residents staged a peaceful protest in Kaiama after the captives spent 171 days in terrorist custody, urging the Federal Government to intensify rescue efforts and strengthen security around communities bordering the Kainji Lake National Park, which they described as a major hideout for criminal groups.
Barely five days earlier, families had revealed that terrorists rejected more than ₦155 million raised through community donations, personal savings and the sale of valuables, insisting they would negotiate only with the governments of Kwara and Niger states because many of the captives came from both states.
Earlier in April, a video circulated on social media showing one of the abducted women, surrounded by fellow captives, pleading with the Kwara State Government to intensify efforts to secure their release. The February massacre sparked national outrage and prompted President Bola Tinubu to order reinforced military deployments and intensified security operations in Kaiama and adjoining communities.
While the victims have now regained their freedom, authorities are yet to provide full details of the operation that secured their release.
