Dozens of Nigerians, primarily women and children, have shared harrowing accounts of their six-month captivity at the hands of jihadi militants. The freed captives, numbering 163, were handed over to authorities in Ilorin, Kwara state, on Friday to receive medical attention and undergo routine checks before their anticipated return to their families.
Among those rescued was Mary Ishaya, 44, who recounted extreme hardship, including days without food and being forced to participate in burying other hostages who died in captivity. "I still cannot find the right words to describe what has happened to us. We saw death and suffering," Ishaya said. The group was abducted on February 3 when militants attacked the village of Woro, an event that resulted in the deaths of over 160 other residents.
At the hospital, the survivors appeared emaciated, with many struggling to stand. Several women learned that their husbands were among those killed during the initial February attack. Some captives expressed that they had lost hope of ever returning home. They described experiencing illness, enduring heavy rain, and being instructed to hide whenever Nigerian military helicopters were spotted overhead.
Amira Saliu, a nurse among the freed individuals, stated that she assisted approximately 10 pregnant women in delivering babies while in the forest hideouts, using only her bare hands. Locals in Woro suggested the killings and kidnappings were a reprisal for the community's refusal to accept the jihadis' preachings. Hauwa Saliu, whose husband was killed in the attack, confirmed that the abductees were repeatedly questioned about their acceptance of these doctrines and that she had refused to comply.
"We prayed to God to help us go back home, but it never really crossed our minds that we were going to go back home," said the 30-year-old Saliu.
The February attack was noted as one of the deadliest in recent Nigerian history, highlighting the southward movement of militants previously concentrated in the north. These groups are reportedly vying for territory and control of resources in areas where national security forces are overstretched.
Mass kidnappings, including those targeting schoolchildren, have become a significant security challenge in Nigeria. The victims from Woro were rescued this week along with 145 other individuals kidnapped primarily from the neighboring Niger state. Details regarding the method of rescue from the expansive Kainji Lake National Park forest were not provided by local authorities.
Nigerian President Bola Tinubu hailed the operation as the "largest rescue operation ever" conducted in a single day and pledged to increase efforts against armed gangs. Some militant groups in Nigeria have sought to establish themselves as an alternative governance structure in regions with a limited government and security presence.
Addressing the country's security challenges also involves improving the welfare of its security forces, who are described as overstretched and underpaid. President Tinubu recently announced plans for military pay raises and mass recruitment to bolster the armed forces.
Analysts suggest that the government needs to prioritize intelligence gathering and preventative measures rather than solely focusing on response operations. Sekinat Ojeniyi, a senior analyst at global risk consultancy Africa Practice, emphasized the need to "recheck how much our security apparatus does to prevent" attacks.