Group Calls For Immediate Rescue Of Over 170 Abductees In Kwara Communities

Members of Kwara State communities resident in Abuja have called on the Federal Government to immediately rescue more than 170 people still being held captive following a series of attacks by terrorists and bandits in Kaiama and Baruten local government areas of the state.

The appeal was made on Saturday during a security briefing organised by the Kaiama Development Association (KDA) and the Batombu Unity and Development Initiative Abuja (BUDIA).

Addressing journalists, the co-convener of the Kaiama and Baruten security briefing, Prof. Umaru Ishiaku Semo, said the worsening security situation in the two areas had claimed hundreds of lives, displaced thousands of residents and devastated livelihoods.

He urged the Federal Government not to allow the plight of the affected communities to fade from national attention.

“Our communities should not remain invisible because they are remote. Our suffering should not be ignored because we are minorities. The time to act is now, before more lives are lost, more communities disappear, and more of our people are forgotten,” he said.

According to Semo, community records indicate that more than 500 people have been killed in attacks across Kaiama, Baruten and neighbouring Borgu LGA since the beginning of 2026.

The group said one of the deadliest attacks occurred on February 3 in Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities, where over 200 people were reportedly killed and 176 others, including women, nursing mothers and children, were abducted.

Nearly six months later, he said, there had been no meaningful update on the victims or evidence of sustained efforts to secure their release.

Semo also cited repeated attacks on communities including Tungan Maje, Kemanji and Tungan Aboki in Kaiama LGA, as well as Karonji, Sekugbe, Kenugbe and Yashikira in Baruten LGA.

He recalled that armed men invaded the palace of the Emir of Yashikira, abducting the monarch’s wives and children, while many communities continue to suffer frequent attacks.

The group expressed concern that terrorists had established hideouts within and around the Borgu Game Reserve, forcing residents to abandon farms and worsening food insecurity across the area.

It also blamed poor road infrastructure for hampering security operations, saying the condition of roads makes it difficult for security personnel to respond swiftly to attacks while allowing armed groups to move freely through the forests.

The organisations warned that the security situation could deteriorate further if urgent action is not taken, noting that the pattern of attacks bears similarities to the early stages of insurgency witnessed in parts of North-East Nigeria.

Among its demands, the group called for the immediate rescue of the 176 abductees from Woro and the family members of the Emir of Yashikira, coordinated military operations to dismantle terrorist camps in the Borgu axis, increased humanitarian assistance for displaced residents, reconstruction of affected communities and the rehabilitation of strategic roads linking Kaiama and Baruten to Ilorin.

While acknowledging recent efforts by the Federal Government, including the approval of an additional Army division to be headquartered in Kwara State, the group urged authorities to sustain security operations and ensure that the crisis in the affected communities was not overshadowed by political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.