Suspected insurgents of Boko Haram have released a fresh video allegedly showing scores of abducted women and children from Woro and Nuku villages in Kwara State, insisting that 176 people were kidnapped during the recent attacks. The figure sharply contradicts earlier government estimates which put the number of abductees between 20 and 30.
In the footage circulated online on Saturday, the captives - many of them women and young children - were seen gathered in an open space while armed men stood guard. A voice in the video accused Nigerian authorities of spreading propaganda and deliberately understating the scale of the incident. “Your government is lying to Nigerians and the whole world by claiming only 20 was kidnapped. See them, they are more than 100,” the insurgent said.
The kidnappings reportedly followed coordinated raids carried out on February 3 and 4 after villagers allegedly resisted demands to allow Sharia preaching in their communities. Residents said the attacks were deadly, with casualty figures ranging from 162 to more than 200 people. Several homes were burnt, and mass graves were dug in the aftermath as survivors struggled to cope with the devastation.
President Bola Tinubu subsequently directed security agencies to reinforce the affected communities, but there has been no confirmation of any successful rescue as of the time of filing this report. The latest video has further intensified concerns over the expanding reach of insurgent violence into parts of north-central Nigeria previously considered outside the core conflict zones. Authorities are yet to officially respond to the claims made in the footage.
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