Nigeria rescues 308 kidnapping victims in major security operation

Nigeria says security forces have rescued 308 people abducted in separate attacks in Niger and Kwara states, in what officials described as the country's largest rescue operation in a single day. The announcement was made on Wednesday and included 163 people taken from Woro village in Kwara state and 145 others abducted in Niger State. Authorities said the victims were recovered from the Kainji Lake National Park Forest, an area that has become associated with criminal hideouts.

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Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu welcomed the operation and praised the agencies involved. He said the rescue brought together the National Counter-Terrorism Centre, the military, the Department of State Services and the police. Officials did not immediately give details on how the operation was carried out, but they said the scale made it the largest single-day rescue so far.

The operation comes against the backdrop of a long-running kidnapping crisis in Nigeria, where ransom abductions have become a major security problem. Criminal groups, jihadist factions and armed gangs known locally as bandits have all been linked to attacks, particularly in areas with limited state presence in the north and centre of the country. Forested and sparsely governed areas have increasingly been used as bases for such groups, making rescue operations more difficult.

Woro has already been the scene of severe violence this year. In February, suspected jihadists attacked the village near the border with Benin, killing more than 150 people and abducting many others, according to earlier reports from residents and officials. Mr Tinubu later condemned that assault as a "beastly attack" and deployed an army battalion to the region.

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The latest rescue therefore adds to a wider security effort in an area that has seen repeated attacks and displacement. The figures also underline the scale of the kidnapping economy in the country. A recent tally cited ransom payments of about $1.66 million between July 2024 and June 2025, showing how abductions continue to generate revenue for armed groups.

The use of national parks and forest reserves as operational bases has become a recurring challenge for security forces, especially where roads, communications and permanent state presence are limited. It remains unclear whether all 308 people were freed in a single coordinated raid or through a series of linked operations, and officials have not yet released further details on arrests or casualties. The government is expected to provide more information on the circumstances of the rescue and whether the abductors were disrupted or remain at large.

For now, the operation marks a significant security success, but it also highlights the continuing scale of kidnapping across Nigeria.

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