Boko Haram Claims Hub in Kwara State for Operations in West-Central Nigeria
176 Hostages from Woro Paraded in Propaganda Video
By Onibiyo Segun
(Kwara State) Boko Haram (Western Learning Forbidden) terrorists are shifting their operations from the Northeast into west-central Nigeria, exploiting ungoverned forests and under-policed rural areas, security experts tell TruthNigeria.
“Boko Haram is shifting its focus from the northeast to central Nigeria, and that’s a dangerous move for the country,” Dr. Chuka Okoye, a security analyst with the National Security and Intelligence Agency (NSIA) in Abuja, told TruthNigeria.
“These attacks are becoming more frequent, and rural communities are increasingly vulnerable,” Chuka added.
Chuka’s prescription: Improved inter-state intelligence sharing and faster deployment.
“These terrorists know they can strike where response time is slow. Specialized counterterrorism units must be deployed proactively, not reactively,” said Col. Ibrahim Dikko (ret.), a defense analyst in Kaduna State to TruthNigeria.
Both warned that without coordinated intelligence operations and sustained troop presence, armed groups could entrench deeper into the Middle Belt, complicating future counterinsurgency efforts.
Recent Terrorist Attack in Kaduna
On Valentine’s Day Boko Haram paraded 176 abducted residents in Woro, Kaiama county (Local Government Area) of Kwara State, ridiculing authorities for understating the scale of the abduction, SaharaReporters reported.
The captives – women, children, and a nursing mother among them were seized during a violent assault and shown in a video widely circulated online.
Families have pleaded for urgent rescue and clearer information from authorities.
The mass abduction occurred in the early hours of February 14, 2026, when Boko Haram (formally known as Jama’atu Ahlissunnah Lidda’awati wal-Jihad) stormed the rural settlement, dragged residents from their homes, and assembled them in public view.
In footage published by Sahara Reporters, dozens of captives stand in rows, visibly distressed, many wearing worn and dirty clothes.
Three women, including a nursing mother speaking in Hausa, identified Woro community in Kaiama local government area, Kwara State, North-central Nigeria, as their home.
The terrorists accuse the state government of initially reporting only 20–30 abducted residents while insisting 176 victims are in their custody.
“The Kwara State government lied to Nigeria and to the whole world,” one terrorist said in the Sahara Reporters footage.
For verified data, trend analysis, and mapped incidents on terrorism, kidnapping, abductions, and persecution across Nigeria, readers can consult the Nigeria Terror Tracker at https://nttmap.org/.
Kwara State Government Responds
In a statement carried by national media, the Kwara State Government described the terrorists’ accusations as “baseless and fabricated,” insisting authorities are working with federal agencies to secure the abducted residents’ release.
“The government cannot keep pretending everything is under control when terrorists are walking through our communities. We need transparency and real security presence,” said Alhaji Muye Bashir, a community leader in Ilorin, in chat with TruthNigeria reporter.
Commissioner of Police Adebayo Olaoluwa confirmed the February 14 assault and said police and Nigerian Army units were tracking the perpetrators.
“Our officers, alongside the Nigerian Army, are tracking the terrorists and working to ensure the safe return of the abducted villagers,” CP Olaoluwa said while addressing the media in Ilorin, Kwara state capital.
Local sources told TruthNigeria security deployment remains limited in remote areas, fueling frustration among residents.
“In some of these villages, the only protection people have is their own courage. We need immediate action,” said Bolanle Korede, a resident in the Woro axis.
Mass kidnapping has been a social plague in Nigeria’s Middle Belt for five years and extends beyond Kwara. On January 18, 2026, Fulani terrorists attacked churches in Kurmin Wali, Kajuru local government area of Kaduna State, abducting more than 180 worshippers during services.
However, 183 kidnapped Christians regained their freedom on February 5 amid widespread praise for the governor, without clarity on whether ransom was paid – a question the Kaduna State government has not answered.
Background
Boko Haram is a Salafi-jihadist Islamist insurgent movement founded in 2002 in Maiduguri, Borno State, Northeast Nigeria, by Mohammed Yusuf.
The group initially opposed Western education and advocated strict Sharia law. After Yusuf’s death during a 2009 security crackdown, Boko Haram, a mix of Kanuri (a dominant Muslim tribe in Borno state Northeast of Nigeria) and Fulani ethnics radicalized escalated into a deadly insurgency responsible for killings, kidnappings, and mass displacement across Nigeria and the Sahel. Today most of the Boko Haram fighters are of the Kanuri ethnicity, with Fulani tribesmen serving as fighters but never in top leadership, according to TruthNigeria sources.
The group pledged allegiance to global jihadist networks, including Al-Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb and later ISIS.
Factions are now active under the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). Its stated goal remains the establishment of an Islamic state in Nigeria and the rejection of Western influence.
The abduction follows a deadly wave of violence earlier this month.
On February 3, 2026, terrorists linked to Boko Haram attacked Woro and neighboring Nuku villages in Kaiama local government area, killing dozens and torching homes in a coordinated dusk assault that lasted hours before security forces arrived.
Residents told TruthNigeria the attack began around 6 p.m., with terrorists firing indiscriminately and forcing villagers to flee into surrounding bush corridors.
Government and independent conflict trackers placed total fatalities from the broader wave of violence between Woro and Nuku between 162 and more than 200, with homes, food stores, and small businesses burned.
Eyewitnesses reported family members of the Emir of Woro among the dead, including two of his wives and several children.
The Emir, Alhaji Saliu Bio Umar, was reported missing after the assault. A chief imam and a school principal were also listed among the dead or missing.
Pattern of Regional Attacks
The Woro abduction fits a broader pattern of violence spreading across Kwara, Kogi, Niger, and Kaduna states.
On February 4, the Kogi State Government in North-Central Nigeria ordered immediate closure of all public and private primary and secondary schools statewide for two weeks, citing credible security threats and imminent operational risks.
Security experts say public parading of captives forms part of Boko Haram’s psychological warfare – amplifying fear, undermining authorities, and projecting territorial reach.
Onibiyo Segun reports on terrorism and conflicts for TruthNigeria.
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