UPDATED: Kwara villagers regain freedom six months after abduction

Residents abducted during the deadly terrorist attack on Woro in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State have regained their freedom.

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This was announced on Wednesday in a brief statement posted on the official Facebook page of the state government, which praised President Bola Tinubu, security agencies and all those involved in securing the victims’ release.

Authorities have yet to disclose the number of victims released, the circumstances surrounding the development, or whether any conditions were attached to the release.

“Woro kidnap victims regain freedom,” the statement read. “Alhamdulillah and kudos to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, security forces, and everyone who played a role in this huge feat. We are grateful!.”

PREMIUM TIMES reported that more than 100 people, including women and children, were abducted in an attack on the community in early February.

The terrorists, who are members of the Sadiku-led Boko Haram franchise, also killed scores of people and set houses ablaze during the attack.

While the state government did not confirm the number of people abducted, locals, including Salihu Umar, the village head of Woro, said about 176 were abducted.

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Mr Umar’s wives and daughters were among those abducted. A day after the two-day attack, the village estimated that 75 people were buried, including two of his sons. Although the Red Cross estimated the casualties at 165, other sources put the figure higher.

At the time the attack occurred, wedding ceremonies were ongoing in the village, and many people from other villages were caught in the violence. While the majority of the victims were from Woro, sources said some were visitors or wedding guests.

The February attack triggered nationwide outrage, prompting President Tinubu to order intensified military operations in the area as security forces launched efforts to rescue the captives and restore stability to affected communities.

The backstory

The Boko Haram terrorists invaded the village three weeks after it sent a letter to the village head, notifying him of their intention to visit the community for [radical] preaching, PREMIUM TIMES had earlier reported. A similar letter was sent to the village head of Nuku.

The village head of Woro, in an interview with this newspaper, said he took copies of the letter to Kaiama Emirate and the State Security Service (SSS).

According to him, the terrorists had clashed with soldiers in the village and neighbouring Nuku about two months before the deadly February attack. That clash, he explained, led to the withdrawal of security forces from the area.

Two weeks later, the terrorists released a video on TikTok, showing the abducted victims and mocking the Kwara State Government over its claim that no more than 30 people had been kidnapped during the attack.

In the video, a terrorist speaking behind the camera is questioning the abducted women and children about where they had been taken from and how many of them were being held.

Four of the women responded that they were abducted from Woro, with another saying that they were 176 in captivity. A few weeks later, the group released another video showing the captives pleading for government intervention.

In the months following the abduction, families of the victims, alongside residents, women, youths and community leaders, staged protests in Kaiama town, demanding the rescue of their loved ones.

The outcry intensified after the government announced the rescue of pupils and teachers abducted in neighbouring Oyo State, prompting families of the Woro victims to question why their loved ones were still being held captive.

Last week, the Kwara State Police Command and the Kaiama Development Association disagreed over the number of people abducted from Woro.

While Commissioner of Police Ojo Adekimi said the command could not verify claims that 176 residents were kidnapped, the association insisted that the figure was based on records compiled by families, traditional rulers and local volunteers, urging the police to focus on rescuing the victims rather than disputing the figures.

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Mr Umar, the village head of Woro, told PREMIUM TIMES that the discrepancy prompted the community to conduct another headcount.

“They asked us to compile the list again, and we documented a total of 167 abductees,” he said.

The list, shared with PREMIUM TIMES by the village head, shows that the abductees comprised 58 males and 109 females, ranging in age from one to 50 years.

PREMIUM TIMES could not immediately reach Mr Umar for comment following the government’s announcement of the rescue. His telephone line was unreachable when contacted, while a WhatsApp voice message sent to him had not been responded to as of the time of filing this report.