Nigeria rescues more than 300 kidnapping victims in major operation

Nigerian authorities announced on Wednesday that more than 300 kidnapping victims had been freed, including 163 people captured in an attack on the village of Woro in Kwara State in February. The rescue operation, which took place in the forest area of Kainji Lake National Park, also involved the release of 145 people from Niger State.

Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said the operation was the largest single-day rescue effort ever conducted in the country. It involved the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, the military, the Department of State Services and the police.

The February attack on Woro, located near the border with Benin, came after suspected jihadists had announced an intention to preach but reportedly found no audience. In response, they burned houses, killed more than 150 people and took many others. Residents told AFP that the death toll exceeded 165, though local authorities gave lower figures. Some media reports put the number of abducted at 176, but police in Kwara State said as recently as Friday that this figure was unsubstantiated.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemned the assault as a “beastly attack” and deployed an army battalion to the region. He blamed Boko Haram, although that name is often used broadly for jihadist groups in Nigeria. Months earlier, the al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) had claimed its first attack on Nigerian soil near Woro.

Kidnapping has become a lucrative criminal activity in Nigeria. A report by SBM Intelligence estimated that ransoms worth about $1.66 million were paid between July 2024 and June 2025. Over the weekend, gunmen abducted at least 52 people, including children, during an attack on a village and a military base in Zamfara State in the northwest.