Kwara Kidnappings: Kaiama youths protest over 176 Woro attack victims held for 171 days
Hundreds of youths and residents in Kaiama Local Government Area (LGA) of Kwara State have staged a peaceful protest over the continued captivity of 176 people abducted during a deadly attack on the Woro community.
The demonstrators, who revealed that the victims have now spent 171 days in captivity, called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Federal Government to step up security interventions to secure their immediate release and curb the growing wave of insecurity in Kwara State.
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Carrying placards and chanting solidarity songs, the protesters marched from the main roundabout in Kaiama, stopping at the Emir of Kaiama’s Palace and the Divisional Police Headquarters before terminating the procession at the local government secretariat.
Protesters demand Army battalion, action on Kainji Lake Park
Speaking on behalf of the organizers, Abdulhameed Abubakar explained that the demonstration was organized to remind both federal and state authorities that the abductees have been left in bandit hideouts for too long without a breakthrough.
Abubakar urged President Bola Tinubu to fulfill his February 5 pledge to deploy a full Nigerian Army battalion to Kaiama LGA. He also called for the immediate de-gazetting of the Kainji Lake National Park, which community members say has become a major criminal hideout for bandits and terrorists.
“We are protesting because our people have remained in captivity for 171 days. We want the government to act decisively and ensure their safe return. We also want a stronger security presence in Kaiama and the fulfillment of the President’s promise to deploy an Army battalion,” Abubakar stated.
“We Feel Abandoned” – Community leaders speak out
The Village Head of Woro, Umar Bio Salihu, whose wife and child are among those held hostage, made an emotional appeal to the government.
“Our appeal is simple. We want our people back. We are pleading with the government to bring them home as quickly as possible,” Salihu lamented.
Adding his voice, the National President of the Kaiama Development Association (KDA), Mallam Yakubu Salihu, expressed deep frustration over what he described as government neglect compared to similar mass kidnappings in Nigeria.
“It has been 171 days and we have not seen the kind of response we expected. While government responded swiftly to similar incidents in other parts of the country, Kaiama feels forgotten,” he said.
Salihu revealed that despite ongoing military and police operations, insecurity remains severe in the region. He cited a recent bandit attack on the Aboki community—where combined security forces neutralized the assailants—and revealed that kidnappers recently extorted ₦40 million in ransom from residents of the nearby Venra community.
Bad roads hindering anti-banditry operations
Ahmed Ibn Muhammed, the Kiwozi of Wozibe and Chairman of the State Intervention Committee on the Woro and Nuku attacks, noted that while victims of similar abductions in Papiri and Oyo have been rescued, the Woro community is still waiting for relief.
Muhammed pointed out that poor road infrastructure connecting Kaiama LGA to neighboring local governments and states severely impairs the mobility of security agencies during operations, urging the federal government to construct durable road networks to boost anti-banditry missions.
Representing the women of the local government, Hajia Hauwa Mohammed shared that mothers in Kaiama have lived in perpetual fear since the incident, warning that kidnap-for-ransom operations have crippled local farming and commerce.
Security agencies are working on safe release – Police DPO
Addressing the peaceful protesters, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Kaiama, CSP Afiz Nafiu, assured the residents that security forces have not abandoned the victims.
He urged the community to maintain peace, assuring them that tactical operations were actively ongoing to rescue the abductees alive.
“The security agencies are not sleeping over the Woro case. Joint efforts are ongoing to ensure the victims return safely. We urge everyone to remain peaceful and assist security personnel with actionable intelligence,” CSP Nafiu stated.
