The Kwara State Police Command has dismissed widespread reports claiming that 176 residents were abducted during a fatal terrorist raid on Woro and adjacent Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area.
Speaking to journalists in Ilorin on Friday, the Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, clarified that the high figure circulating in public domain has no basis in official security logs. While acknowledging that several villagers were taken when heavily armed terrorists on motorcycles invaded the agricultural settlement on 3 February 2026, he insisted there was no official validation for the 176 count.
The police clarification follows renewed appeals by victim families, local chiefs, and community leaders who urged the Federal Government and security forces to step up rescue operations, maintaining that roughly 176 individuals remained captive nearly six months after the assault. The community’s plea came after negotiations with the abductors reportedly broke down.
Rejecting the figure, Commissioner Adekimi explained that the count appears to have originated from propaganda circulated by the attackers:
“Regarding the claim that 176 people were kidnapped from Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area, I honestly do not know the source of that figure because it did not come from any security agency or operative. I believe the figure started circulating after a video surfaced showing a group of abducted persons who were made to claim they were over a hundred in number.”
He added that local residents who viewed the hostage video could identify only around 10 individuals, including the wife of a traditional ruler. As a result, the police chief noted that he could not confirm the 176 tally and refused to rely on figures propagated by bandits.
- Ex-Oyo guber spokesman Lekan Alabi dies at 76
Category: Nationwide, Politics
Source: DP
Excerpt: Chief Lekan Alabi, a veteran journalist who served as press secretary to successive governors of Oyo State, has died in Lagos at the age of 76.
Image idea: Lekan Alabi
Chief Lekan Alabi, a veteran journalist who served as press secretary to successive governors of Oyo State, has died in Lagos at the age of 76.
The passing of the prominent media figure, who held the traditional title of Abese Olubadan of Ibadanland, was announced on Saturday morning in a statement released in Ibadan by Adeola Oloko, the media aide to the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Rashidi Ladoja.
According to the official announcement, the late chief passed away early on Saturday and “will be buried tomorrow (Sunday) in accordance with Islamic rites.”