Nigerian forces have completed the country's largest rescue operation, freeing 308 hostages held for six months by jihadi kidnappers in Kwara State. The victims, primarily women and children, were held in harsh conditions in a forest hideout.

Officials stated that 163 of the rescued individuals were taken from the Woro community on February 3, during an attack where an additional 160 people were killed. Survivors recounted being subjected to constant religious demands by their captors. One woman, Hauwa Saliu, told the Associated Press that the militants repeatedly asked if the captives had accepted jihad. "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," she said.

Conditions in captivity were dire, with victims describing a lack of food and unsanitary circumstances. Another victim, a nurse named Amira Saliu, recounted assisting in 10 childbirths without any medical equipment or sanitary gloves, relying only on her bare hands. The captives were reportedly held near a river and forced to extinguish fires and hide when helicopters were detected.

Women who were rescued after being held in a forest after they were abducted from the Woro community by gunmen in February receive medical attention at a hospital in Ilorin, Nigeria, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026.

Mary Ishaya, 44, shared that captives often went days without food and were compelled to bury fellow hostages who died. "I still cannot find the right words to describe what has happened to us. We saw death and suffering," she stated.

A woman who was rescued after being held in a forest after being abducted from the Woro community by gunmen in February receives medical attention at a hospital in Ilorin, Nigeria, Friday, Aug. 7, 2026.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq confirmed that 46 victims were receiving hospital treatment. "This is indeed, indeed a very sad situation. We've not yet come to terms with it. We're still assessing the situation. As you can see, it's just kids ... children and women that are here today," he said. "It's truly a shame that this has happened."

The incident underscores the ongoing conflict in Nigeria, particularly between militant Islamic groups in the north and the country's Christian population, which constitutes approximately 45% of the nation's citizens. The U.S. has previously conducted strikes against Islamic State-affiliated groups in Nigeria, including coordinated military action in May that reportedly led to the death of senior leader Abu Bakr al-Mainuk.