Suspected members of Boko Haram, formally known as Jama’atu Ahlissunnah Lidda’awati walJihad, in a recent video they released have claimed that they are holding 176 individuals from Kwara hostage, a development that has heightened concerns about the security situation in the region.

The disturbing footage shows dozens of women and children allegedly taken from the Woro community in the Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, seated in rows in an open area, surrounded by armed men.

The captives include a nursing mother and several minors, with some children appearing half-clothed and many of the abductees visibly distressed, hinting at the dire conditions of their captivity.

In the video, an armed man questions the captives, asking where they were abducted. Three women, including a nursing mother, respond in Hausa, stating they were kidnapped from the Woro community in the Kaiama Local Government Area.

The terrorist alleged during the recording that the Kwara State Government had understated the magnitude of the abduction, asserting that, whereas officials had reportedly indicated that between 20 and 30 individuals had been kidnapped, the group maintained that it was holding 176 captives.