Politics
Kwara kidnap vctims regain freedom after six months in captivity
RESIDENT’S abducted during terrorist attack on Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State have regained their freedom, according to a statement released on Wednesday.
The statement, issued by the the state government, confirmed the development.
The government expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, security agencies and all those involved in securing the victims’ release.
“Alhamdulillah and kudos to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu GCFR, security forces, and everyone who played a role in this huge feat. We are grateful,” the statement read.
However, the statement did not disclose the number of victims freed, the circumstances surrounding their release, or whether the operation involved the payment of ransom or a rescue by security forces.
It added that further details would be made public later.
The development comes about six months after heavily armed terrorists invaded Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area, carrying out a prolonged attack that left several residents dead, others injured, and scores abducted.
Following the attack, families of the victims, community leaders and traditional rulers appealed repeatedly to the Federal Government to secure the captives’ release.
Reports indicated that as many as 176 people were taken away by the attackers, although the figure has remained disputed.
However, last week, the Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, said security agencies had no official record confirming that 176 persons were abducted during the attack.
According to the police commissioner, the figure did not originate from any security agency but appeared to have emerged from a video released by the kidnappers in which the captives claimed they were more than 100 in number.
He noted that residents who watched the footage could identify only a handful of victims, including the wife of the village head, adding that law enforcement agencies could not rely on figures circulated by the terrorists.
Despite disputing the number of abductees, Adekimi assured residents that security agencies were working to secure the freedom of everyone still being held captive.
The attack on Woro drew national attention after residents alleged that the terrorists operated in the community for nearly 10 hours before security operatives arrived.
The village head, Umar Salihu, said the attackers invaded the community at about 5 p.m. and operated until around 3 a.m. the following day, by which time they had already fled before soldiers reached the area. He also blamed the community’s vulnerability on the earlier withdrawal of military personnel stationed there after their base came under attack.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M
