The Kwara State Government has reunited 146 residents of Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area with their families after 21 days of rehabilitation following their release from kidnappers.

The government also provided financial assistance to the victims, with adults receiving N1 million each, youths N500,000 and children N200,000 to help them rebuild their lives.

The victims were among 176 people reportedly abducted when Woro was attacked on February 3. They were rescued on August 5 and subsequently underwent rehabilitation in Ilorin.

Speaking during the reunion, the Chairman of Kaiama LGA and Kwara State Chairman of the Association of Local Governments of Nigeria, Alhaji Abubakar Abdullahi Danladi, commended President Bola Tinubu and Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq for their efforts toward the victims’ recovery.

He said three of the rescued persons were still receiving medical treatment, while 13 others remained in captivity.

The Village Head of Woro, Alhaji Umar Saliu, called for sustained assistance for the victims, particularly farmers who had fled the community because of repeated attacks.

He also commended the government for beginning the reconstruction of shops destroyed during the attack, saying the initiative would help restore economic activities.

The Chairman of the Government-Woro Community Intervention Committee, Ahmed Ibn Ahmed, disclosed that more than N80 million had been distributed among the rescued victims.

He urged the government to strengthen security around communities bordering the national park, which he said criminals had been exploiting as a hideout, and appealed for the restoration of electricity to Woro and neighbouring communities.

The reunion was marked by jubilation as residents welcomed their relatives amid dancing, drumming and tears of joy.

Meanwhile, troops of the Joint Task Force North West, Operation FANSAN YAMMA, have killed two suspected terrorists and recovered two AK-47 rifles and three motorcycles during an encounter in Rabah Local Government Area of Sokoto State.

The operation followed intelligence on the movement of terrorists allegedly transporting hundreds of rustled cattle through the Maikujera area on Thursday, August 28.

According to the task force’s Media Information Officer, Lt. Col. Aliyu Danja, troops of Sector 2 encountered an ambush while advancing towards the area but fought back, killing two terrorists and forcing others to flee.

The rustled cattle reportedly scattered into surrounding bushes during the exchange of fire, with troops and local vigilantes continuing efforts to recover them.

Danja said the area remained calm as troops maintained operations to prevent further attacks, while urging residents to provide security agencies with credible information.

In Kogi State, the police also confirmed the rescue of 15 NYSC members who were abducted along the Aloma–Egane Expressway in Ofu Local Government Area.

The corps members were reportedly among passengers intercepted by armed hoodlums around Ogene Zaria near the Ogene Zaria/Onicha-Igo Junction on Wednesday, August 26.

Police spokesperson, ASP Afusat Saliu, said a joint security team recovered two abandoned buses and launched a coordinated search operation.

She said 11 victims, including the drivers of the two buses, had been rescued, adding that preliminary debriefing showed that most of them were NYSC members travelling from Bayelsa State to Abuja.

The rescued victims were debriefed and allowed to continue their journey, while security personnel continued searching the surrounding forest for the remaining victims and the perpetrators.