Families Beg Tinubu to Save 176 Kwara Hostages as Captors Threaten Forced Marriages, Mass Killings

By Abu Adamu
Families of 176 persons abducted nearly six months ago by suspected Boko Haram-linked terrorists in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State have made a fresh emotional appeal to the Federal Government to urgently rescue their loved ones amid chilling threats by the captors to force female hostages into marriage and execute the remaining victims.

The desperate appeal follows reports that the terrorists have rejected more than N155 million painstakingly raised by residents through community contributions to secure the captives’ freedom, insisting instead that only the Federal Government could negotiate with them.

According to relatives of the victims, the prolonged captivity has plunged entire communities into grief and uncertainty, with families now fearing that the terrorists may carry out their threats after previously issuing an ultimatum to the authorities.

Speaking in an interview monitored on the BBC Hausa Service, Abdul Ibrahim, a native of Kaiama, said the terrorists had warned that they would marry off female captives they considered “beautiful” and kill the remaining hostages if their demands were not met.

He said the affected communities had exhausted virtually every available option to secure the release of their loved ones, including raising over N155 million through community crowdfunding, but the money was allegedly rejected by the abductors.

“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 lamented.

He appealed to President Bola Tinubu, the Kwara State Government and security agencies to intensify rescue efforts, saying every passing day deepened the pain and uncertainty confronting hundreds of affected families.

The renewed plea comes against the backdrop of reports that the terrorists have refused to negotiate with state authorities, insisting that any meaningful engagement must be conducted directly with the Federal Government. There have also been unverified reports of far higher ransom demands running into billions of naira as the crisis drags on.

Community leaders said peaceful protests organised to draw attention to the victims’ plight had equally failed to secure the intervention they had hoped for.

Also appealing to the authorities, the Dan Sardaukin Kaiama, Suleiman Bukata, urged the Federal Government and security agencies to replicate the operation that recently secured the rescue of abductees in Oyo State by extending similar action to Kaiama, where scores of residents have remained in terrorist camps for months.

Bukata said the successful rescue of the Oyo victims had rekindled hope among families in Kaiama, stressing that the people deserved the same commitment and protection from the government.

He warned that every additional day the victims remained in captivity increased the danger to their lives and exposed them to further hardship and abuse.

Commenting on the broader security situation in the country, Senator Adamu Aliero expressed concern over the persistent wave of terrorism and banditry but said the challenge could not be attributed to inadequate funding by the Federal Government.

According to him, the National Assembly has consistently approved budgetary requests by security agencies to prosecute the war against terrorism, arguing that the continuing attacks reflected the complexity of the security challenge rather than a lack of financial support.

The senator, however, renewed his advocacy for the establishment of state police, insisting that governors should be constitutionally empowered and adequately equipped to deploy local policing structures capable of responding swiftly and effectively to security threats within their states.