Nigeria: over 300 hostages freed during a rescue operation

Among those rescued are 163 residents of Woro, a locality in the Kaiama district of Kwara State. The village was attacked in early February by presumed jihadists, who killed 165 people and burned down a large part of the buildings.

The other 145 hostages are from the neighboring state of Niger. Their release comes after more than six months of captivity, in a region facing an increase in abductions and incursions by armed groups.

Security forces found the hostages inside the Kainji Lake National Park, a vast wooded area that is difficult to access. A cell of JAS, the historic faction of Boko Haram, is said to be established in this area, according to local sources cited by authorities.

An Operation Conducted in a Difficult-to-Access Area

The attack on Woro was preceded by an attempt to send a preacher into the community. Despite alerts raised by local officials, no military personnel were present in the village at the time of the assault.

At the end of July, residents of Kaiama organized a march between the local emir’s palace and the offices of the territorial administration. They demanded intervention from the authorities and the release of their relatives who had been missing for several months.

The Nigerian government has not provided any details about the exact circumstances of the release. It has also not clarified whether any fighters were arrested or killed during the operation.

As with other mass kidnappings in Nigeria, the conditions that led to the hostages’ release remain unknown. Authorities regularly negotiate with the kidnappers in these cases, while security sources mention the likely payment of ransoms, a practice that the government does not officially acknowledge.