Kwara gunmen – Fury spreads after video displays 170 prisoners
By: Abudu Olalekan
Fear hangs heavy in Kaiama these days. It feels like you could cut through it with a knife.
Out of nowhere, a video surfaced online – no happy ending here. This footage, spreading fast on Facebook since Saturday, captures the moment people were grabbed from Woro and Nuku during the violent outbreak in February. Women and kids appear inside, caught up in chaos nobody saw coming.
Watching it feels like a punch to the chest.
Rows of people sat on the ground. Dust covered their clothes. Deep in the wilderness, armed men stood close. Their voices carried words in Hausa. Trees blocked any clear view out. The air stayed thick and still. Gunmetal glinted under harsh sunlight. Nowhere felt farther from help.
Word is spreading about the attackers being linked to Sadiku’s group within Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad. Some voices point straight at that split inside the larger movement. Not everyone agrees, yet names keep surfacing around Sadiku’s network. Rumors tie the shooters to his branch through past patterns. Details stay thin but connections emerge slowly. The claim gains ground without official confirmation. Talk flows despite gaps in clear proof.
One moment showed captors questioning those they held. A twisted scene unfolded, almost playful in its cruelty. Speaking became their demand when two older women hesitated. The air felt heavy with fear, yet voices rose anyway.
The gunmen asked, “Where are you from?”
Not one of them hesitated. Woro came first, then Kaiama, finally Kwara State slipped out like it was always meant to be said that way
Dragging the government into it came next. Furious, they lashed out. Officials faced claims of spinning stories – telling fake numbers about who got caught. The charge? Dishonesty cloaked as news.
From their corner, the gang laughed at the numbers – insisting just twenty-five, maybe thirty folks had vanished.
One of them spoke up when the shooter wanted a count. “Check it out,” he said, grinning. The others stayed quiet, waiting.
One hundred seventy four, said the women together. Further along in the footage, a different mother noted one hundred seventy six.
It’s a mess.
Word came through a security contact, speaking quietly to Reportersroom – the footage checks out. It’s genuine.
“I have confirmed it. This is another set of people, different from the ones we rescued before. But we are making efforts,” the source whispered.
Faces are being checked by the Kwara State Government right now. A message came out from Bolanle Olukoju, head of Communications, explaining how concerned officials really are.
“We are concerned about the disturbing video,” she said.
Truth is, she said, no one can pin down the real number. Things got messy. With folks fleeing to places like Wawa and New Bussa in Niger State, figuring out who was taken versus who simply left became nearly impossible.
“That’s why we haven’t announced a number yet. We don’t want to make mistake,” the statement suggested.
Folks in charge out there in Woro are now going through the video, trying to match names with faces. Some of those shown have already been named.
Folks are jumpy, said ZulQharnain Musa, who speaks for Kaiama Local Government, talking to Reportersroom. Nerves have been frayed lately. People watch each step they take. Quiet tension hangs in the air. He described a mood stretched thin. Not much feels steady right now. Even small sounds draw attention. His words painted a scene of waiting. Nobody seems at ease.
“I learnt the government is planning a rescue operation, but nothing is official yet,” he said.
Folks watching safety walked through the trees again. Not one spot skipped. Every shadow checked twice by now.
A fresh cut appears here, tied to what happened on February 3. Blood marked that evening. Fire joined it. Around six o’clock, riders on bikes charged into Woro. Homes went up in flames after they arrived. The attack reached the Emir’s palace. Lives ended there.
Fleeing through trees, some recalled soldiers forcing mothers and kids deeper into the woods under threat of firearms.
More than two hundred lives lost in the aftermath of that assault. Graves dug quickly, without ceremony. Watching those who made it out now displayed as if on show. A fresh wound opens for those left behind.
