Families of more than 170 people abducted from a rural community in north-central Nigeria say they fear some of the captives — including pregnant women and children — may have died in captivity after weeks without news from either the kidnappers or the authorities.
Residents of Woro, in Kaiama local government area of Kwara state, say the prolonged silence following the mass kidnapping has left families gripped by anxiety and despair.
Relatives of the victims say there has been no communication from the armed group believed to be responsible for the abduction, and little information from officials about efforts to secure the hostages’ release.
“We are living in fear every day,” said one relative of an abducted resident. “Since they were taken, we have not heard anything from the terrorists or from the government. No calls, no demands, nothing. It has been a month since they showed them in a video, and we have heard nothing again.”
Community members say the uncertainty has intensified fears for vulnerable captives, particularly pregnant women and children who may struggle to survive prolonged captivity in remote bushland without food or medical care.
“We are particularly worried about the pregnant women and the children,” another relative said. “Some of them were already weak before they were taken. If they are in the bush without food or medical care, how can they survive for this long?”
The kidnappings came to wider attention after a video circulated online in which armed men displayed a large group of captives they claimed were taken from Woro. The footage showed dozens of women and children standing in rows, many appearing distressed and wearing dirty clothing. Several children appeared barefoot and without adequate clothing.
In the video, one of the gunmen accused the Kwara state government of understating the scale of the abduction. While officials initially suggested that between 20 and 30 people had been taken, the armed group claimed it was holding 176 captives.
The Kwara state government said it was “deeply concerned” by the footage and that security agencies were analysing the video to verify the identities of those shown.
“Our thoughts are with all the families affected, and we reaffirm our commitment to securing the safe return of all those impacted,” the state commissioner for communications, Bolanle Olukoju, said in a statement.
Officials added that security agencies were investigating the video and assessing the situation.
However, as of the time of reporting, authorities had not publicly provided further details on the status of rescue efforts.
The mass abduction followed a deadly attack on Woro on 3 February, when gunmen believed to be linked to Islamist militant groups operating across Nigeria’s north and the wider Sahel region stormed the farming community.
Residents said the attackers carried out killings during the assault, with several prominent figures in the community among the dead, including religious leaders and educators.
Among those reportedly killed during the attack were members of the local royal household, including two wives of the Emir of Woro, as well as the community’s chief imam, a school principal, a headmistress and several students who had recently returned home from school.
Witnesses said the gunmen arrived in the community in the evening, shooting indiscriminately and attacking residents and travellers passing through the area before abducting scores of villagers.
The incident has heightened fears among residents that militant violence is spreading into parts of north-central Nigeria that have historically experienced fewer large-scale attacks than the country’s north-east, where Islamist insurgencies have raged for more than a decade.
For many Nigerians, the mass abduction has revived painful memories of the kidnapping of 276 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok in Borno state in 2014 by the militant group Boko Haram. The abduction sparked global outrage and led to the viral social media campaign “Bring Back Our Girls”.
Although dozens of the Chibok girls have since been rescued or released through negotiations, many remain unaccounted for more than a decade later. Their continued absence has become a symbol of the enduring trauma caused by mass kidnappings across Nigeria.
Security analysts say the Woro abduction reflects a broader pattern in which armed groups target rural communities with limited security presence, abducting residents for leverage, propaganda or ransom.
Over the past decade, hundreds — and by some estimates thousands — of Nigerians have been kidnapped by militant groups and criminal gangs operating across the country’s north and central regions. While many captives are eventually freed after negotiations or ransom payments, others remain missing for years.
In addition to the Chibok girls, several other large-scale kidnappings have occurred in recent years, including the abduction of hundreds of schoolchildren in states such as Kaduna, Zamfara and Niger.
Some of those victims have been released, but many families continue to wait for answers about relatives who never returned home.
The persistence of such attacks has underscored the challenge facing Nigeria’s security forces as they confront multiple armed threats across a vast and difficult terrain.
The Nigerian military has carried out numerous operations against Boko Haram and its splinter factions in the north-east, including the group known as Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Military officials frequently report the killing or arrest of militant fighters and the rescue of abducted civilians during raids on insurgent camps.
In recent years, the armed forces have also expanded operations in parts of north-west and north-central Nigeria, where heavily armed gangs and militant groups have carried out mass kidnappings, village raids and attacks on highways.
Despite these efforts, insecurity continues to affect large parts of the country, particularly remote rural areas where security forces struggle to maintain a consistent presence.
Residents of Woro say their community remains deeply traumatised by the attack and the subsequent abduction of so many villagers.
“Our hearts are heavy every day,” said another resident. “We do not know whether our people are alive or dead. We are begging the government to do something because we cannot continue living like this.”
Community members say the silence from both the kidnappers and authorities has deepened their despair.
“We are losing hope because nobody is telling us anything,” one relative said. “The government is silent, and the terrorists are silent too. We are afraid that some of our people might have died where they are being held.”
Local residents say many communities across Kwara North remain vulnerable to further attacks, with farmers afraid to return to their fields and families living in constant fear of another assault.
Human rights groups have repeatedly urged the Nigerian government to strengthen security in rural areas and improve intelligence gathering to prevent attacks before they occur.
For the families of the missing villagers from Woro, however, the priority remains the safe return of their loved ones.
Until there is news of their fate, many say they will continue living with uncertainty — hoping the captives are still alive, but fearing the worst.
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