Kwara residents protest, demand release of 176 Woro abductees after 171 days

Hundreds of women, youths and residents of Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State on Friday staged a peaceful protest, demanding the release of 176 residents of Woro community who have remained in captivity since their abduction on February 3, 2026.

 

The protesters marched through Kaiama, carrying placards and calling on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to rescue the victims, who they said had spent 171 days in captivity.

 

The procession moved from the Kaiama Roundabout to the Emir’s Palace, the Kaiama Police Station and the Kaiama Local Government Secretariat.

 

Speaking during the protest, President of the Kaiama Development Association, Salihu Yakubu, alleged that more than 300 people were killed during the attack on Woro community, while 176 others, including women, children and men, were abducted.

 

“Woro community was attacked in February, and 176 people were taken away. There has been no update on their whereabouts. We are calling on the government to come to our rescue and bring back our children, wives and husbands,” he said.

 

Yakubu lamented what he described as the absence of government intervention, insisting that the victims should receive the same attention given to victims of similar attacks in other parts of the country.

 

The Village Head of Woro, Umar Bio-Salihu, said the community was still traumatised by the attack, adding that nearby communities, including Nuku, Tenebo, Kemaanji and Maje, had also suffered repeated attacks by suspected bandits.

 

“We are Nigerians. Please rescue our people and reunite them with their families,” he appealed.

 

Chairman of the State Intervention Committee on the Woro and Nuku attacks, Ahmed Ibn Muhammed, urged the Federal Government to ensure the victims’ release and improve road infrastructure in the area to enhance security and emergency response.

 

One of the protest organisers, Abdulhameed Abubakar, called on the Federal Government to fulfil its earlier promise to deploy an army battalion to Kaiama Local Government and de-gazette the Kainji Lake National Park, which he alleged had become a hideout for terrorists and other criminal groups.

 

Speaking on behalf of the women, Hauwa Mohammed said insecurity had crippled farming and commercial activities, leaving many families without livelihoods and deepening the community’s sense of abandonment.

 

Responding to the protesters, the spokesperson for Kaiama Local Government, Suleiman Tanko, assured residents that the local government council and the Kwara State Government were working to secure the release of the abductees.