More than 300 people abducted in separate attacks across Nigeria have been rescued, in what the presidency is calling the largest single-day security operation of its kind. The rescue took place in Kainji Lake National Park in Niger State and involved a joint effort by the military, police, intelligence services and the National Counter-Terrorism Centre.
Among those freed were 163 people taken during a February assault on the Woro community in Kwara State, an attack that killed scores of residents, along with 145 others abducted in Niger State. It remains unclear whether any suspects were captured during the operation. The rescued victims are receiving medical treatment at a military facility ahead of being reunited with their families.
Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said President Bola Tinubu welcomed the rescue of 308 citizens, calling it the largest such operation ever conducted in a single day. Tinubu pointed to the outcome as evidence of stronger coordination among the country’s security agencies.
The Woro attack was carried out by armed jihadists seeking to force residents to reject Nigeria’s government and constitution in favour of their own rule. Amnesty International reported that many victims were found bound at the hands and feet, with some killed by gunfire and others by knife. Nigerian authorities have attributed the attack to Boko Haram, though the group has not commented publicly.
The rescue follows the recent release of 44 students and teachers who were freed after more than 50 days in captivity following a school abduction in Oyo State, the result of a month-long security operation. The wave of kidnappings, spreading into north-central and southern Nigeria, has heightened concerns that insecurity is expanding beyond the country’s usual conflict areas.
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