Nigeria Secures 300+ Abducted Citizens in Record Sweep

Sun Sep 06 2026 05:19:37 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

For the biggest single‑day rescue possible, Nigerian forces recovered more than 300 people held captive in recent waves of violence across Kwara and Niger states.

Nigeria’s joint security teams liberated 308 survivors of kidnappings carried out in February, marking the largest same‑day operation in the country’s history. Victims rescued from the Kainji Lake National Park included 163 people from the Woro community, where quite a few were murdered, and 145 abductees from Niger state. While the operation did not report arrests, it highlighted improved coordination between military, police, and intelligence agencies. Survivors received immediate medical care and were reunited with families, underscoring the state’s response to a surge of insurgent‑led abductions. The event follows earlier rescue missions, including the freeing of 44 schoolchildren after a month of captivity.

Nigeria’s presidency announced that over 300 abducted citizens were rescued during its biggest single‑day operation, carried out by a coalition of military, police, intelligence and counter‑terrorism units.

The operation took place at the Kainji Lake National Park in Niger state and freed a total of 308 victims. 163 survivors of the February assault on the village of Woro in Kwara state and 145 others who had been taken in Niger state were liberated. The rescue effort did not clarify whether any suspects were detained.

Victims, many of whom were suffering from severe injuries, were immediately placed under medical care at a military facility before being reunited with their families. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s spokesman Bayo Onanuga welcomed the operation, calling it the largest rescue ever conducted in one day and a testament to better coordination among security agencies.

The abductions were linked to jihadist forces who sought to compel residents of Woro to reject Nigeria’s constitution and adopt their own governance structure. Amnesty International reported that many of the dead were found with limbs tied and had been mutilated. The Nigerian government has attributed the attacks to Boko Haram, although the group has not issued a statement.

This rescue follows a month‑long offensive that freed 44 pupils and teachers from a school attack in Oyo state. The series of abductions across northern, central and southern Nigeria has highlighted the penetration of insecurity beyond traditional conflict zones.