‘Our loved ones still in captivity despite raising N155m ransom’  —  Kidnap victims’ families

By Ibrahim Hassan-Wuyo

Five months after a deadly attack on Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, families of victims have lamented that more than N155 million raised as ransom failed to secure the release of their abducted relatives, renewing calls for urgent government intervention.

Community leaders said the February 3, 2026 attack, carried out by more than 100 heavily armed assailants, left over 260 people dead, more than 30 houses burnt, and 176 residents abducted, making it one of the worst mass attacks recorded in recent years.

In an interview with the BBC Hausa Service monitored by our correspondent, Alhaji Abdul Ibrahim, who spoke on behalf of the affected families, said he lost 10 relatives and has 35 family members still in captivity.

According to him, the community mobilised N155 million after the kidnappers demanded ransom, but the money was rejected.

“We raised N155 million and took it to them, but they refused to accept it, saying it was not enough. We returned with the money and have not heard from our relatives since. We appeal to the Federal Government and the Kwara State Government to rescue them because there is nothing more we can do,” he said.

Under Nigerian law, the payment of ransom to kidnappers is prohibited.

Relatives expressed frustration that while victims abducted in a separate kidnapping incident in neighbouring Oyo State were rescued by security forces, those taken from Woro have remained in captivity, leaving families feeling abandoned.

Another community leader, Alhaji Sulaiman Bukata, the Dan Sadaukin Kaiama, said residents recently staged a peaceful protest to draw attention to the plight of the abductees, many of whom are women, children and nursing mothers.

He alleged that the kidnappers had threatened to force some of the young women into marriage and kill others if the government failed to act, although Vanguard could not independently verify the claim.

The lawmaker representing the area in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Hon. Sa’idu Baba Ahmed, also appealed to the Federal Government to intensify efforts to rescue the captives, saying the prolonged silence over their fate had deepened the suffering of affected families.

The attack on Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities was reportedly triggered after residents rejected attempts by the armed group to establish an extremist religious presence in the area. Survivors said the attackers, dressed in military-style uniforms and riding motorcycles, killed scores of residents, burnt homes and abducted dozens before fleeing.

The incident underscores the growing insecurity in parts of North-Central Nigeria, where armed groups have increasingly carried out mass killings, kidnappings for ransom and attacks on rural communities, despite ongoing security operations.

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