By Tajudeen A.Balogun
Members of Kwara State communities resident in Abuja have called on the Federal Government to intensify efforts to rescue more than 170 people still being held captive following a series of attacks by suspected terrorists and bandits in Kaiama and Baruten Local Government Areas of the state.
The appeal was made this morning during a security briefing organised by the Kaiama Development Association (KDA) and the Batombu Unity and Development Initiative Abuja (BUDIA).
Speaking at the briefing, the co-convener, Prof. Umaru Ishiaku Semo, said the deteriorating security situation in Kaiama and Baruten had claimed hundreds of lives, displaced thousands of residents and destroyed livelihoods.
He urged the Federal Government not to allow the plight of the affected communities to be overlooked because of their remote location.
“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,” Semo said.
According to him, community records indicate that more than 500 people have been killed in attacks across Kaiama, Baruten and neighbouring Borgu Local Government Area since the beginning of 2026.
He said one of the deadliest attacks occurred on February 3 in Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities, where more than 200 people were reportedly killed, while 176 others, including women, nursing mothers and children, were abducted.
Semo lamented that nearly six months after the incident, there had been no meaningful update on the victims or evidence of sustained efforts to secure their release.
He also cited repeated attacks on communities including Tungan Maje, Kemanji and Tungan Aboki in Kaiama LGA, as well as Karonji, Sekugbe, Kenugbe and Yashikira in Baruten LGA.
The group further recalled the attack on the palace of the Emir of Yashikira, during which the monarch’s wives and children were abducted, noting that several communities continue to face frequent attacks.
The organisations expressed concern that terrorists had established hideouts within and around the Borgu Game Reserve, forcing residents to abandon their farms and worsening food insecurity in the affected areas.
They also blamed poor road infrastructure for hampering security operations, saying the deplorable condition of roads had made it difficult for security agencies to respond promptly to attacks while enabling armed groups to operate freely through forested areas.
Warning that the situation could deteriorate further if left unchecked, the groups said the pattern of attacks resembled the early stages of the insurgency witnessed in parts of North-East Nigeria.
Among their demands, they called for the immediate rescue of the 176 abductees from Woro and the family members of the Emir of Yashikira, coordinated military operations to dismantle terrorist camps in the Borgu axis, increased humanitarian assistance for displaced residents, reconstruction of affected communities and the rehabilitation of strategic roads linking Kaiama and Baruten to Ilorin.
While acknowledging recent efforts by the Federal Government, including the approval of an additional Army division to be headquartered in Kwara State, the groups urged authorities to sustain security operations and ensure the security crisis in the affected communities is not overshadowed by political activities ahead of the 2027 general elections.
