The family and disability rights advocates of a hearing-impaired widow identified as Mrs. Mosun have raised a desperate public alarm, calling on authorities to secure her immediate release after she was kidnapped in Kwara State. 

Protesters took to the streets carrying placards and banners, condemning the abduction and drawing attention to what they described as the heightened vulnerability of persons living with disabilities in Nigeria’s worsening insecurity crisis.

A banner displayed prominently at the protest captured the gravity of the situation, reading: “She cannot hear their commands. She cannot speak to plead for her life.” The message underscored a chilling reality that Mrs. Mosun, as a hearing-impaired woman, is unable to communicate with her captors or call for help, placing her at extreme risk in what advocates are calling a particularly cruel dimension of the kidnapping epidemic.

Disability rights groups joined family members at the demonstration, arguing that the government has consistently failed to account for the unique dangers faced by Nigerians living with physical and sensory disabilities when addressing the country’s security challenges.

Their placards called for urgent government intervention, protection of persons with disabilities from kidnappers, and the immediate and unconditional release of Mrs. Mosun. The protest added a human rights dimension to a security crisis that has gripped Kwara State for months, with bandits targeting residents across multiple local government areas.

Kwara State has witnessed a sharp spike in kidnappings in recent times, with traditional rulers, construction workers, farmers, and worshippers all falling victim to increasingly brazen armed groups. The abduction of Mrs. Mosun a widow who cannot hear or speak has amplified public outrage and renewed calls for decisive government action before more lives are lost.