Boko Haram demands N3.52bn ransom to release 176 kidnapped victims in Kwara

Boko Haram has reportedly demanded N3.52 billion ransom to release the 176 residents abducted from Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The victims, who are mostly children and women, were abducted during the deadly February 3, 2026, Woro and Nuku communities, Kaiama Local Government Area of Kaiama of Kwara State attack.

The terrorists specifically demanded N20 million ransom for each victim, while negotiations with the state government have stalled.

According to a community source who spoke with SaharaReporters on Sunday evening, the insurgents had already contacted intermediaries and placed a heavy financial demand on the families and the government.

“The terrorists have already reached out through negotiators,” the source said. “They demanded N20 million for each of the 176 abducted people. That is the offer on the table now.”

The source explained that the Kwara State Government is currently unwilling to pay the ransom demanded by the terrorists, which has led to a stalemate in discussions.

“What is causing the silence from the government is that the negotiation has not succeeded,” the source added. “The government is not willing to pay that amount, so the discussion is still ongoing behind the scenes.”

According to the insider, residents are not aware of any concrete plan to launch a military operation into the forest where the victims are believed to be held.

“The soldiers are only stationed within the primary school in Woro, they are not entering the forest. This is the same thing that happened at Eruku, when people were kidnapped and later released. They did not go in search of the terrorists; they later reached an agreement with them and the victims were released. Nobody has been arrested till date,” the source alleged.

“What they are trying to do instead is to find a way to negotiate and possibly pay ransom.”

Earlier, the suspected Boko Haram terrorists released a disturbing video showing dozens of abducted victims, including women, children and a nursing mother, allegedly kidnapped from Woro community

In the footage, one of the terrorists was seen interrogating the captives and asking them to state where they were abducted.

Responding in Hausa, three women, including a nursing mother, said they were kidnapped from Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The video showed dozens of women and children standing in rows, many of them visibly distressed. Several of the children appeared half-clothed, while the victims’ clothes looked dirty and worn, suggesting they had been held in harsh conditions.

During the recording, one of the terrorists accused the Kwara State Government of misleading Nigerians and the international community about the scale of the abduction.

According to the terrorist in the video, the government initially claimed that between 20 and 30 people were kidnapped, while the actual number of captives in their custody stood at 176.

Following the release of the video, the Kwara State Government said it was deeply concerned about the disturbing development.

In a statement issued by the Commissioner for Communications, Bolanle Olukoju, the government said it was working with security agencies to verify the identities of those seen in the video.

However, as of the time of filing this report, authorities have yet to publicly announce any breakthrough in efforts to rescue the abductees.