Nigerian authorities have rescued a total of 308 citizens who had been kidnapped, according to officials. The operation took place in the Kainji Lake National Park Forest, a location that has served as a hideout for criminal groups.
The rescued individuals had been abducted during various attacks in Niger State and Kwara State. Among them, 163 were taken from the village of Woro in Kwara State, and 145 were from Niger State.
President Tinubu welcomes the rescue of 308 citizens abducted in Niger and Kwara states.
Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga described the operation as the largest rescue ever carried out in a single day. The rescue comes months after a February attack on the village of Woro, where terrorist groups killed over 150 people, according to some reports.
The number of kidnapped Nigerians rescued by authorities.
Residents of Woro told AFP that the death toll from the February attack was over 165, although local authorities reported a lower figure. In response, President Tinubu deployed an army battalion to the region and attributed the attack on Woro to the Islamist movement Boko Haram.
Earlier, the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) had claimed its first attack on Nigerian soil in Kwara State, near Woro, a few months before the February assault. Sprawling, sparsely governed forests and reserves across Nigeria continue to serve as hideouts for criminal groups.
