Kwara communities resident in Abuja have urged the Federal Government to rescue 176 people abducted during the February 3, 2026, attack on Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area.
The call was made on Saturday, July 25, 2026, at a security briefing organized by the Kaiama Development Association (KDA) and the Batombu Unity and Development Initiative Abuja (BUDIA).
The groups said the worsening security situation in Kaiama and Baruten local government areas had claimed hundreds of lives, displaced residents and destroyed livelihoods.
Speaking at the briefing, co-convener Prof. Umaru Ishiaku Semo said community records indicated that more than 500 people had been killed in attacks across Kaiama, Baruten and neighbouring Borgu Local Government Area since the beginning of 2026.
He said the February 3 attack on Woro and Nuku claimed more than 200 lives, while 176 people, including women, nursing mothers and children, were abducted.
Semo said the victims had remained in captivity for months, urging the government to intensify efforts to secure their release.
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“Our communities should not remain invisible because they are remote. Our suffering should not be ignored because we are minorities. The time to act is now,” he said.
The groups also cited attacks on Tungan Maje, Kemanji, Tungan Aboki, Karonji, Sekugbe, Kenugbe and Yashikira, as well as the reported abduction of members of the Emir of Yashikira’s family.
They said armed groups operating in and around the Borgu Game Reserve had forced residents off their farms, worsening food insecurity, while poor roads continued to hamper security operations.
The organizations called for the immediate rescue of the abductees, intensified military operations against terrorist camps in the Borgu axis, humanitarian assistance for displaced residents and the reconstruction of affected communities.
They also demanded the rehabilitation of strategic roads linking Kaiama and Baruten to Ilorin.
While acknowledging the Federal Government’s approval of an additional Army division to be headquartered in Kwara, the groups urged authorities to sustain security operations and keep the crisis on the national agenda ahead of the 2027 general elections.