176 Kwara captives marked for death, forced marriage as terrorists reject ₦155M

By Tolulope Oke

Terrorists holding 176 residents of Kwara State have rejected a ₦155 million ransom raised by their families and allegedly threatened to kill the captives they do not force into marriage.

The victims, abducted from communities in Kaiama Local Government Area, have remained in captivity for nearly six months as their families continue to plead for urgent government intervention.

Abdul Ibrahim, an indigene of Kaiama, raised the alarm during an interview monitored on BBC Hausa Service.

Ibrahim alleged that the terrorists threatened to force the “beautiful” female captives into marriage and kill the remaining hostages if their demands were not met.

He said the affected families and communities had exhausted virtually every available option in their desperate bid to secure the release of their loved ones.

According to him, residents raised more than ₦155 million through community crowdfunding, but the abductors rejected the money and continued to hold the victims.

“We have done everything within our means. The money was raised, yet our people have not been released.

“Their suffering continues, and families are living in agony,” Ibrahim said.

He appealed to President Bola Tinubu’s government, the Kwara State Government and security agencies to intensify efforts to rescue the captives before the terrorists carry out their threat.

Ibrahim said peaceful demonstrations organised by residents had also failed to attract the level of intervention expected from the authorities.

He warned that every additional day in captivity exposed the victims, particularly the women, to greater danger.

Dan Sardaukin Kaiama and Suleiman Bukata also appealed to the Federal Government and security agencies to extend recent successful rescue operations to Kaiama.

They urged the authorities to replicate the efforts that reportedly led to the rescue of abducted victims in Oyo State.

Bukata said the Oyo rescue operation had rekindled hope among families whose relatives remained trapped in terrorists’ camps in Kwara.

He insisted that the people of Kaiama deserved the same urgency, commitment and protection from the government.

The community leaders warned that the captives were enduring severe hardship after spending almost six months in the hands of the terrorists.

They urged security agencies to act immediately, saying further delay could expose the hostages to execution, forced marriage and other forms of abuse.

Commenting on the worsening insecurity in northern Nigeria, Senator Adamu Aliero said the Federal Government could not be blamed for failing to provide funds for security operations.

Aliero said the National Assembly had consistently approved budgetary requests submitted by security agencies for the fight against terrorism.

He maintained that the persistence of terrorism reflected the scale and complexity of Nigeria’s security crisis rather than a lack of funding.

The senator, however, renewed his demand for the establishment of state police.

He said governors should be constitutionally empowered and adequately funded to deploy local security structures against terrorists and other criminal groups operating within their states.