The suspense, apprehension and uncertainty over the fate of the 176 women and children abducted by suspected Boko Haram insurgents from Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State ended on Wednesday following their release six months after they were kidnapped thereby bringing relief too their families.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that the victims were abducted in February 2026 when members of Boko Haram hitherto known as Jama’atu Ahlissunnah Lidda’awati wal-Jihad invaded their community and later released a disturbing video in which they paraded the 176 captives, including women, children and a nursing mother.
The release of the victims was confirmed by the Senior Special Assistant to the Kwara State Governor on Communications, Ibraheem Abdullateef in a statement on Wednesday in which the government expressed gratitude to the security agencies and all those who contributed to the successful operation.
The statement read: “Kwara State Government is happy to share that the security forces have rescued the people who were kidnapped at Woro community in Kwara North.
“Kudos to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, security forces, and everyone who played a role in this huge feat. We are grateful!”
Although the state government confirmed the rescue, it did not immediately disclose details of how the operation was carried out or whether any suspects were arrested during the mission.
Recall that controversy had trailed the kidnap with the government underplaying its magnitude. However, the insurgents released the video parading the 176 victims and interrogating some of them asking them to state where they were kidnapped.
Responding in Hausa language, three women, including a nursing mother, answered one after the other that they were abducted at Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The footage captured dozens of women and children standing in rows, many of them visibly distressed.
Their clothes appeared dirty and worn, while several of the children were seen without trousers, underscoring the harsh conditions under which they are being held.
While parading the victims, one of the terrorists pointedly accused the Kwara State government of deliberately misleading Nigerians and the international community over the scale of the abductions.
In the video, the terrorist claimed that the state government lied by reporting that only 20 to 30 people were kidnapped, insisting that the actual number of captives in their custody was 176.
According to the terrorists, “The Kwara State government lied to Nigeria and to the whole world,” stressing that the number of abductees was far higher than officially acknowledged.
