Forty six victims rescued after spending months in captivity following the February abduction in Woro, Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, are still receiving treatment in hospitals, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has said.
He disclosed on Friday while receiving the rescued abductees in Ilorin, where the victims, mostly women and children, were handed over by the Commander of 22 Armoured Brigade, Brigadier General Nicholas Rume.
Recall that the attack on February 3 left scores of residents dead, while 176 people were initially reported to have been abducted and taken into the forest.
However, 163 victims were eventually accounted for when the captives were brought out of the forest, leaving 13 people unaccounted for.
The development has raised fresh concerns over the fate of those still missing, even as the rescued victims were moved to Ilorin for medical assessment and further support.
The Kwara Governor said the government had directed that all the rescued victims receive appropriate medical attention as part of measures to help them recover from the ordeal.
“As you can see, children and women are here today. We have about 46 of them in the hospital. Government will continue to do its best to safeguard lives and property in the state,” he said.
AbdulRazaq described the February attack on Woro as regrettable, saying the government had yet to fully come to terms with the scale of the incident.
“It is regrettable that the Woro incident happened at all. We are grateful to God that our collective effort has paid off. Everyone has been rescued alive,” he said.
He said the return of the victims was only an interim stage in the government’s response, noting that authorities were still assessing the situation and did not yet have all the facts surrounding the incident.
“This is an interim process because we don’t have all the facts yet. We pray this kind of thing will not happen again,” AbdulRazaq said.
The governor also expressed appreciation to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his ‘swift response to the security challenges confronting the state’.
He disclosed that the President had approved the establishment of five Army battalions in strategic locations across Kwara State.
He listed the locations as Kaiama, Patigi, Kosubosu, Omu-Aran and Ilemona.
AbdulRazaq said the measures were part of a broader effort to strengthen security across the state, adding that the 9 Division of the Nigerian Army had also been established in Kwara.
He further disclosed that the 22 Armoured Brigade currently based at Sobi was being moved to Bode-Saadu.
The governor said the Federal Government had also approved 1,000 Forest Guards for the state, while another 1,600 personnel were undergoing training.
“From the President’s action, you will see that there is a lot of seriousness to protect Kwara and Nigeria. This will be a security shield on Kwara,” he said.
AbdulRazaq said he had repeatedly approached the President over the security situation in Kwara, particularly at critical moments, and that the Federal Government had responded with additional security interventions.
“I kept on mounting pressure on the President to make sure that the state was safe.
“We truly appreciate his effort in ensuring that this will not happen again. This is indeed a very sad situation. We have not come to terms with this,” he said.
Emir of Kaiama, Muazu Umar, described the prolonged captivity of the victims as a period of severe hardship for the community.
“Throughout the six months and four days, we have been in turmoil. We thank God we are able to get here. Though, we lost some people in the process,” the emir said.
He thanked President Tinubu for his support and prayed for the eventual rescue of any victims who may still remain in captivity.
“The people that are still with them, we pray one day they be rescued,” Umar added.
He said the rescue was achieved through the combined efforts of the various security agencies involved in the operation.
“It was a sad event, but today I am happy to introduce to you the people through the combined effort of the security agencies we have been able to rescue,” he said.
The brigade commander commended the agencies involved and described the operation as an example of the synergy among Nigeria’s security forces.
He also praised the state government for its support, particularly in providing logistics and other assistance to security personnel operating in the area.
He said security agencies would sustain their operations against banditry and insurgency in the state.
“You will agree with me that this year there has been a reduction in the incidents we have been recording in the state. I pray that we will win the battle against our enemies,” he said.
The Chairman of Kaiama Local Government Area, Abubakar Danladi, described the return of the victims as a moment of relief for the community.
“We are highly delighted to gather here to witness the handing over of our people kidnapped in Woro. We are happy to be here to receive them wholeheartedly,” Danladi said.
He prayed that the communities, Kwara State and Nigeria would not experience another incident of such magnitude.
