Concerned residents from Kaiama and Baruten local government areas of Kwara State have appealed to the Federal Government to immediately rescue at least 176 people who remain in captivity months after a deadly attack on communities in the state, and that continued inaction could worsen the security situation in the North-Central region.
The appeal came during a security briefing organised in Abuja by the Kaiama Development Association (KDA) and the Batombu Unity and Development Initiative Abuja (BUDIA), where community leaders painted a grim picture of escalating violence, mass killings, and displacement across parts of Kwara.
Speaking on behalf of the groups, co-convener of the security briefing, Prof. Umaru Ishiaku Semo, said the humanitarian situation in Kaiama and Baruten had reached a critical point and required urgent intervention from federal authorities.
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According to him, 176 residents, including women, nursing mothers, and children, were abducted during a large-scale attack on Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities on February 3, 2026. He said nearly six months after the incident, there had been no significant progress in securing their release.
Semi said, “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, before more lives are lost, more communities disappear, and more of our people are forgotten.”
Besides the unresolved abductions, the groups claimed that more than 500 people had been killed in attacks across Kaiama, Baruten, and neighbouring Borgu Local Government Area since the beginning of 2026. They said the violence had forced thousands of residents from their homes while crippling farming activities and local commerce.
The organisations identified several communities, including Tungan Maje, Kemanji, Tungan Aboki, Karonji, Sekugbe, Kenugbe, and Yashikira, as areas repeatedly targeted by armed groups.
They also recalled an attack on the palace of the Emir of Yashikira, during which the monarch’s wives and children were reportedly abducted. They termed it as one of several incidents demonstrating the growing reach of criminal groups in the area.
The briefing further alleged that terrorists had established camps around the Borgu Game Reserve, making surrounding forests difficult for security agencies to police while forcing many residents to abandon their farms.
The groups blamed poor road infrastructure for slowing security responses, saying bad roads had become a major obstacle to military and police operations in the affected communities.
Warning against complacency, the organisations said the pattern of attacks resembled the early stages of insurgency witnessed in parts of North-East Nigeria and urged authorities to prevent a similar security breakdown in Kwara.
Among their demands were the immediate rescue of the 176 abductees and the Emir of Yashikira’s family members, sustained military operations to dismantle terrorist camps around the Borgu axis, humanitarian assistance for displaced residents, reconstruction of affected communities, and rehabilitation of strategic roads linking Kaiama and Baruten to Ilorin.
While acknowledging the Federal Government’s approval of an additional Army division for Kwara State, the groups maintained that stronger and sustained security operations were needed to prevent the crisis from deteriorating further, particularly as political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections gather momentum.
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