The 176 women and children who were abducted by suspected kidnappers from Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State have reportedly regained their freedom after spending six months in captivity.
The victims were allegedly held by terrorists suspected to be members of Boko Haram before they were released.
SaharaReporters gathered that the victims were released on Wednesday, bringing relief to their families and residents of the community after months of uncertainty.
Confirming the development, the Senior Special Assistant to the Kwara State Governor on Communications, Ibraheem Abdullateef, announced in a statement that the victims had been rescued by security forces.
According to him, the Kwara State 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.
SaharaReporters on February 2026, reported that suspected Boko Haram terrorists, formally known as Jama’atu Ahlissunnah Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, had released a disturbing video in which they paraded 176 abducted victims, including women, children and a nursing mother, allegedly seized from Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
In the video obtained by SaharaReporters, one of the terrorists is seen interrogating the captives, 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 shows 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 openly 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.
“The Kwara State government lied to Nigeria and to the whole world,” the terrorist said, insisting that the number of abducted persons was far higher than officially acknowledged.
(SaharaReporters)