Tension gripped Kwara State residents following the release of another video showing abducted villagers from Woro and neighboring communities in Kaiama Local Government Area, with victims pleading for government action.
The fresh clip comes weeks after an earlier video appeared on February 14, causing national anger and revealing the scale of the February 3 raid on Woro and surrounding Nuku towns, in which dozens of people were slain and many more were abducted.
In the old video, women and children thought to have been abducted during the raid were seen seated in rows, surrounded by armed men who spoke Hausa while questioning them about their names and origins.
In the previous video, some old women acknowledged that they were from Woro in Kaiama LGA, causing anxiety throughout the state.
Many families found relatives among the hostages, while others continued to search for missing loved ones despite ambiguity about the precise number of abducted people.
The accused kidnappers, thought to be affiliated with Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad, used the first video to question official assertions about the scope of the kidnapping, accusing authorities of understating the number of victims.
“They said those abducted were about 25 or 30. Let them look here,” one of the armed men was heard saying in Hausa. “Ask them how many they are.”
“We are 174,” some of the women responded, although another segment of the footage suggested the number could be as high as 176, reinforcing concerns that the true scale of the abduction may have been far greater than initially reported.
The Kwara State Government acknowledged the grief caused by the earlier video and promised locals that security officials were working to confirm the identity of those shown and increase rescue efforts.
“The Kwara State Government is deeply concerned over the disturbing video allegedly showing persons abducted during the February 3 attack,” the Commissioner for Communications, Bolanle Olukoju, said in a statement.
“Our thoughts are with all the families affected, and we reaffirm our commitment to securing the safe return of all those impacted,” she added.
A new video released after more than two months in captivity shows a larger group of abductees, mostly women and children, gathered at an undisclosed location.
The victims appear weak, malnourished, and exhausted, with worn and dirty clothes, indicating prolonged hardship and deteriorating living conditions.
“We are begging you; this is our last opportunity,” a young woman said in English, her voice shaking. “We have been here since February 3. Please come to our rescue.”
“We have small children with us, and some women are pregnant,” another captive said in Yoruba. “Please, Kwara State Government and Oyo State Government, help us. This is the last chance they gave us.”
In the background, one of the armed men claimed responsibility for the kidnapping while the victims spoke.
“We are the ones who kidnapped them. They have been begging us, and we have given them this opportunity so their government can hear from them,” he said.
Some of the kidnapped victims also stated that they had been exposed to ideological teachings for an extended period of time, raising worries about possible brainwashing while in captivity.
“They teach us things we did not know before,” one woman said. “But we are still begging you; please come and rescue us.”
Attempts to contact the Kwara State Police Command were fruitless since messages provided to its spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, had not been replied to as of press time.
