Victims abducted during the deadly attack on Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State have arrived in Ilorin after spending several months in captivity.
The rescued victims were transported from Niger State to the Kwara State capital late Thursday and received at the Nigerian Army’s 2 Division, Sobi Barracks.
They were later moved to an undisclosed location for the night, while some of the victims were taken to hospital for medical treatment.
The victims were among residents abducted after armed attackers invaded Woro earlier this year, killing scores of people and taking others into surrounding forests.
Their rescue followed sustained military operations and coordinated efforts involving several security agencies.
The victims are expected to be formally handed over to Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who has been engaging security authorities over efforts to secure the release of those abducted.
Authorities are also expected to verify the number of rescued victims and provide medical, psychological and welfare support following their prolonged captivity.
308 Nigerians Rescued
The February attack on Woro left more than 150 people dead, while roughly the same number were reportedly abducted.
President Bola Tinubu welcomed the rescue of 308 Nigerians abducted in separate attacks in Kwara and Niger states.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said 163 of those rescued were from Woro, while 145 were from Niger State.
The victims were rescued from an area within the Kainji Lake National Park Forest, which has increasingly become a hideout for criminal groups operating across parts of Nigeria.
Onanuga described the operation as the “largest rescue operation ever carried out” in a single day. The operation involved the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, the military, the Department of State Services, the intelligence agency and the police.
Woro Attack
The Woro attack occurred in February after armed assailants reportedly sent a letter to the community announcing their intention to preach. Residents said no one attended, after which the attackers launched an assault on the village.
Houses were reportedly set ablaze and more than 165 people were killed, according to accounts from residents at the time, although local authorities provided a lower death toll.
Reports also put the number of abducted residents at 176, but the Kwara State Police Command later said the figure had not been substantiated.
Large parts of the community were destroyed during the attack.
President Tinubu condemned the incident as a “beastly attack” and deployed an army battalion to the troubled area. He also attributed the assault to Boko Haram, a name that is sometimes used broadly to describe jihadist groups operating in Nigeria.
Months before the Woro attack, the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) claimed its first attack on Nigerian soil in the area near Woro.
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