ILORIN, Aug. 10, 2026 — Woro villagers recently freed after spending six months in jihadist captivity are returning to their families and recounting harrowing experiences in the Kainji Forest Reserve, where they were held alongside other captives from neighbouring Niger State.
The 163 hostages, mostly women and children, were among about 300 abductees rescued by security forces last Wednesday. Some of the freed victims remain in hospital receiving medical treatment before being reunited with their families.
They were abducted during a February 3 attack on Woro in which more than 160 people were reportedly killed and several homes burnt.
Survivors said heavily armed jihadists moved them through forest routes before eventually taking them to the reserve. They were sometimes separated or forced into hiding whenever aircraft flew overhead, according to accounts from the victims.
Fatima Ahmed, 38, who was discharged from a hospital in Ilorin after undergoing medical checks, said she spent weeks sleeping in the open and was unable to change her clothes.
“I was very uncomfortable,” she told First Daily. “Even when we fell sick, they did not care. They continued talking about their radical religious beliefs.”
Authorities have yet to provide detailed information on the operation that led to the victims’ rescue.
Deadly Surge
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu described the operation as the country’s largest single-day hostage recovery.
The rescue came less than a month after the July 10 release of 46 abductees from Oyo State following 56 days in captivity.
The latest releases have occurred amid continuing kidnappings and armed violence across parts of the country, despite intensified security operations by the Tinubu administration.
By around seven months into 2026, the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data Project (ACLED), which tracks political violence globally, had recorded 5,918 violent incidents in Nigeria — nearly four-fifths of the 7,539 incidents recorded throughout 2025.
The February attack on Woro was among the country’s deadliest in recent years, highlighting concerns over the southward spread of armed groups from the North, where jihadist organisations have established areas of influence and competed for resources amid overstretched security forces.
Malik Samuel, a senior researcher at Abuja-based Good Governance Africa, said recent hostage recoveries indicated improvements in security operations but argued that the approach remained largely reactive.
“The recoveries show that there are still pressing security challenges,” he told First Daily.
Woro and other affected communities in Niger State are located near the Benin border, placing them close to poorly governed forest areas where armed groups, including bandits and jihadists, have established footholds.
Military Operations, US Cooperation
Nigerian authorities have responded to the worsening security situation with expanded military operations and closer security cooperation with the United States, while rejecting attempts to frame the country’s security crisis solely as a religious conflict.
Jihadist groups continue to attack military and civilian targets in the North-East, while banditry remains a major threat in the North-West. Farmer-herder clashes and other forms of armed violence also persist across parts of the Middle Belt, with militant activities and criminal networks extending into other regions.
The military has continued counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations across the affected areas.
In May, a joint US-Nigerian operation killed a senior ISWAP commander described by US officials as the group’s second-in-command. Nigerian authorities said a concurrent offensive also killed about 175 ISWAP and Boko Haram fighters.
On July 29, the Nigerian Army declared ISWAP leader Abu Musa al-Mangawi Baa Shuwa and his deputy, Amirul Jaish Muhammad Jidda, wanted over their alleged roles in leading the jihadist group around the Lake Chad Basin. The Army also offered a reward for information leading to their capture.
Analysts said sustained military pressure, supported by growing US-Nigerian security cooperation, was disrupting the operational capabilities of jihadist groups.
Samuel, however, noted that armed groups were adapting to the pressure.
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“They are targeting military positions as part of their broader resurgence and adaptation strategies,” he said.
Back Home
In Ilorin, dozens of freed captives, including children and nursing mothers, remain in hospital receiving treatment for ailments including skin infections and malnutrition, according to medical officials who spoke to First Daily.
“They need to stay with us for two weeks for proper medical care,” said Bola Ahmed, Chief Medical Director of Kwara State University Teaching Hospital.
While some of the freed hostages have been reunited with their families, others are returning to communities devastated by the February attack and confronting the loss of relatives killed by the armed groups.
Amira Salihu, a nurse and daughter of Woro’s village head, was among those held captive. She treated sick and weakened abductees in the forest despite the absence of adequate medicines and medical equipment, and helped about 10 pregnant women deliver their babies during captivity.
Two of her brothers were killed during the February massacre.
“It feels good to regain freedom, but I am returning to mourn the loss of family and loved ones,” she told First Daily.
For the survivors, freedom has therefore brought both relief and grief — a return home marked by reunion with loved ones, medical recovery and the painful task of rebuilding lives shattered by months of captivity and violence.