By Obinna Uballa
Suspected Boko Haram insurgents have released a video showing dozens of women and children allegedly abducted from Woro and Nuku communities in Kwara State, claiming that 176 persons were taken during recent attacks, far higher than the 20 to 30 earlier acknowledged by government sources.
In the footage circulated on Saturday, the captives, including visibly distressed children, were paraded in an open area while armed men accused Nigerian authorities of downplaying the scale of the abduction.
“Your government is lying to Nigerians and the whole world by claiming only 20 was kidnapped. See them, they are more than 100,” a voice believed to be that of one of the insurgents declared in the video.
The abductions reportedly followed coordinated raids on February 3 and 4 in which gunmen stormed the affected villages after residents allegedly rejected demands to allow Sharia preaching in their communities.
Local accounts indicate that between 162 and over 200 people were killed in the attacks, with homes razed and mass graves later dug to bury victims. Survivors described scenes of chaos as families fled into surrounding bushland while others were rounded up and taken away by the attackers.
President Bola Tinubu subsequently ordered the deployment of additional troops to the area, but as of the time of filing this report, no official rescue operation had been confirmed.
