Victims abducted during the deadly attack on Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State have arrived safely in Ilorin, months after they were taken captive by armed attackers.
The rescued victims reached the Kwara State capital late on Thursday following their release during coordinated military operations involving multiple security agencies.
They were transported from Niger State to Ilorin, where they were received at the Nigerian Army’s 2 Division Headquarters, Sobi Barracks, before being moved to an undisclosed location.
Some of the rescued victims were taken to hospitals for medical attention, while authorities also began arrangements for psychological care and other welfare support after their prolonged ordeal in captivity.
The victims were among hundreds of residents abducted when heavily armed terrorists invaded Woro earlier this year, killing scores of people, burning homes and forcing many others into surrounding forests.
The attack, one of the deadliest recorded in Kwara State in recent years, triggered nationwide outrage and prompted intensified military operations to locate the hostages.
The rescued victims are expected to be formally handed over to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who has maintained close contact with security agencies throughout the rescue operation.
Authorities said efforts are ongoing to verify the identities and number of those rescued while ensuring they receive adequate medical care, counselling and rehabilitation.
According to the Presidency, 308 abducted Nigerians were rescued during the operation, comprising 163 victims from Woro in Kwara State and 145 others from Niger State.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga described the mission as the largest single-day hostage rescue operation ever conducted in Nigeria.
He said the operation was jointly carried out by the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), the Nigerian Armed Forces, the Department of State Services (DSS), intelligence agencies and the Nigeria Police Force.
The victims were reportedly rescued from camps hidden within the Kainji Lake National Park, an expansive forest that has increasingly become a refuge for armed criminal groups and terrorists.
The Woro attack occurred in February, when heavily armed extremists stormed the rural community after residents reportedly failed to honour an earlier demand to host a religious preaching session.
The attackers unleashed widespread destruction, razing homes, killing more than 150 residents, and abducting scores of others.
While community sources initially claimed that 176 people were kidnapped, police authorities later said the exact number could not be independently verified.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemned what he described as a “beastly attack” and immediately ordered the deployment of additional military personnel to the area.
At the time, the Federal Government attributed the assault to Boko Haram, although security analysts also linked the incident to the growing activities of the Al-Qaeda-affiliated Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM), which had earlier claimed its first attack on Nigerian soil in the same region.
Security agencies have vowed to sustain operations across the forests bordering Kwara and Niger states to dismantle remaining terrorist hideouts and prevent further attacks on rural communities.
