308 Kidnapped Citizens Rescued in Niger and Kwara States in Largest Same-day Operation

The victims were freed from Kainji Lake National Park Forest in New Bussa Local Government Area, Niger State, during a coordinated, intelligence-driven operation by the National Counter Terrorism Centre, involving the armed forces, police, and Department of State Services. The Kwara government, near the Benin border, praised the rescue, noting the abductions occurred during a February 3 attack on local communities in Kaiama that killed at least 200 people, reportedly by suspected Boko Haram-linked fighters. Kidnapping for ransom by criminal groups, Boko Haram-linked fighters, and bandits remains a major crisis in Nigeria, particularly in areas with limited state presence, targeting schools, churches, and mosques in vulnerable rural communities.