Outrage Grows as Terrorists Display Kwara Hostages; Governor Abdulrazaq Faces Propaganda Allegations

Boko Haram Releases Video Showing Hundreds of Abductees from Kwara State

Suspected Boko Haram terrorists have released a disturbing video showing hundreds of kidnapped victims, including women and children, allegedly abducted from Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State. The footage emerges weeks after an attack that reportedly claimed over 200 lives in the same region earlier this month.

In the widely circulated video, one of the militants can be seen interrogating the captives, who identify themselves as residents taken from Kaiama LGA. The video appears designed to contradict official government statements about the scale of the abductions.

A spokesperson for the terrorist group directly challenged the Kwara State government’s account of the incident, accusing Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s administration of deliberately misleading the public. “The Kwara State government lied to Nigeria and to the whole world,” the militant claimed in the footage. “The infidel government lied about your number to be around 20 to 30 people.”

The video suggests the actual number of abductees is significantly higher than officially acknowledged, potentially indicating a major intelligence failure or deliberate downplaying of the situation by authorities.

When contacted about the video and efforts to secure the hostages’ release, Kwara police spokesperson SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi and the governor’s chief press secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, did not respond to requests for comment.

The incident marks a troubling escalation in Boko Haram’s tactics in Nigeria’s North Central region, an area that has traditionally experienced less terrorist activity compared to the group’s strongholds in the Northeast. Security analysts suggest this geographic expansion represents a strategic shift by the terrorist organization to exploit vulnerabilities in areas with less robust security infrastructure.

The situation has sparked outrage on social media, with many Nigerians expressing frustration at what they perceive as government ineffectiveness in addressing the country’s deteriorating security situation.

One X (formerly Twitter) user, identified as @emekajerome, wrote: “This is the present condition of Nigeria which Tinubu wants to continue. A Nigeria where lives and property is not respected and secured. Innocent Nigerians are regularly abducted by terrorists and paraded like criminals after collecting ransom from their families.”

Other social media users accused the government of complicity. “I will keep saying all this, the government aren’t fighting Boko Haram or bandits; they are sponsoring them more and more,” wrote user @johzbohz.

The video has highlighted discrepancies between official accounts and the reality on the ground. User @Sixtusagbakwuru noted: “While the government was counting 75 bodies, Boko Haram was holding 176 souls. The terrorists said it themselves: Kwara State government lied to Nigeria and to the whole world.”

This incident occurs amid a broader pattern of mass abductions across Nigeria, which has seen thousands of citizens kidnapped for ransom in recent years. The practice has become a lucrative funding source for various armed groups operating throughout the country.

Security experts have long warned that Nigeria’s response to terrorism requires substantial reform, including better intelligence gathering, improved coordination between security agencies, and addressing underlying socioeconomic factors that facilitate recruitment.

The Kwara abduction represents a significant humanitarian crisis for the affected families and communities. Historically, securing the release of kidnapped victims has involved complex negotiations, sometimes including ransom payments, though government agencies rarely acknowledge such arrangements publicly.

As the situation develops, pressure is mounting on both state and federal authorities to take decisive action to rescue the hostages and prevent similar attacks in the future. For now, the families of those abducted remain in agonizing uncertainty as they await news of their loved ones’ fate.