NO fewer than 176 residents abducted during the February 3 terrorist invasion of the Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State have regained their freedom, bringing to an end nearly six months of anguish for their families and communities.
News Point Nigeria reports that the Kwara State Government announced the development on Wednesday through its official Facebook page, describing the release as a major breakthrough and commending President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, security agencies and everyone who contributed to securing the victims’ freedom.
“Alhamdulillaah and kudos to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, security forces, and everyone who played a role in this huge feat. We are grateful!” the state government stated.
Although authorities had yet to disclose details of the operation as of press time, multiple community sources disclosed that security personnel, supported by military hardware, moved into the forest earlier on Wednesday before news of the victims’ release filtered into the affected communities.
A resident and member of the community negotiating team through a mediator, Aliyu Umar, said information reaching the communities indicated that the Federal Government had mounted a rescue operation.
According to him, residents of nearby Wawa community reported seeing seven or eight long vehicles escorted by Army armoured tanks moving into the forest.
He added that reports circulating within the communities suggested the captives had already been handed over to government officials.
“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, gave a similar account, saying available information indicated that a Federal Government rescue team entered the forest to receive the freed victims.
According to the traditional ruler, residents had reported seeing buses, Army gun trucks and other security vehicles heading towards the area.
“We had not spoken with the victims ourselves at that point, but everything we were hearing suggested they had been handed over to the rescue team,” he said.
Also confirming the development, Dr Abdul Ibrahim, who played a prominent role in community efforts to secure the captives’ freedom, said the exact circumstances surrounding their release were still 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 marks a dramatic turnaround after months of uncertainty that triggered protests, appeals and desperate efforts by affected families to secure the freedom of their loved ones.
Only last weekend, hundreds of residents, youths and women staged a peaceful protest in Kaiama, demanding urgent government intervention after the victims had spent 171 days in terrorist captivity.
The protesters marched through the town carrying placards, urging the Federal Government to intensify rescue efforts while calling for stronger security around communities bordering the Kainji Lake National Park, which they described as a major hideout for criminal elements.
The latest development also comes barely five days after families revealed that more than ₦155 million painstakingly raised through community donations, personal savings and the sale of valuables had reportedly been rejected by the terrorists.
Speaking on behalf of the affected families at the time, Dr Ibrahim said the abductors declined the money, insisting they would negotiate only with the governments of Kwara and Niger states because many of the captives came from both states.
He also alleged that the terrorists threatened to kill some of the victims while forcing female captives into marriage, heightening fears among relatives and members of the affected communities.
The 176 victims were abducted during the coordinated terrorist attack on Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities on February 3, an assault that reportedly left hundreds dead, displaced many families and destroyed homes as well as public infrastructure.
The massacre sparked nationwide outrage and prompted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order reinforced military deployments and intensified security operations across Kaiama Local Government Area and adjoining communities, efforts that have now culminated in the victims’ freedom.