Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State has confirmed that 46 of the rescued kidnap victims from the Woro attack in Kaiama Local Government Area are receiving treatment at a hospital in the state capital.

Speaking with journalists after receiving the rescued victims from the Commander of the 22 Armoured Brigade, Brigadier General Nicholas Rume, in Ilorin on Friday evening, Governor AbdulRazaq said the February 3 attack was not only tragic but also regrettable.

Tribune’s investigation revealed that the rescued victims, who are mostly women and children, appeared fatigued and malnourished as they were attended to by medical personnel.

Some of the children had swollen legs wrapped in bandages while receiving medical treatment.

The governor, who hailed President Bola Tinubu for his swift response and support to the state, said the president had approved the establishment of five Army battalions in Omu-Aran, Patigi, Ilemona, Kosubosu and Kaiama.

“It is regrettable that the Woro incident happened at all. We are grateful to God that our collective effort has paid off. Everyone has been rescued alive.

“I have since directed that appropriate medical attention be extended to everyone to ensure their wellbeing. Prior to this time, we have extended various forms of support to the Woro community to aid its rebuilding efforts through the committee.

“On behalf of the people and government of Kwara State, I extend our profound gratitude to the President. We are truly grateful that the President has paid special attention to the state, and each time I went to him, he responded swiftly. I usually went to him when things were so bad, and he directed the deployment of 1,000 Forest Guards. We still have 1,600 in training.

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“I kept mounting pressure on the President to make sure that the state was safe. The 9 Division of the Nigerian Army has been established in the state. Not only that, the 22 Armoured Brigade, Sobi, is moving to Bode-Saadu. Aside from that, we have five battalions in Kaiama, Patigi, Kosubosu, Omu-Aran and Ilemona.

“From the President’s actions, you will see that there is a lot of seriousness in protecting Kwara and Nigeria. This will serve as a security shield for Kwara.

“We truly appreciate his effort in ensuring that this will not happen again. This is indeed a very sad situation. We have not come to terms with it. We are still assessing the situation. As you can see, children and women are here today. We have about 46 of them in the hospital. Government will continue to do its best to safeguard lives and property in the state.

“This is an interim process because we don’t have all the facts yet. We pray this kind of thing will not happen again.”

In his remarks, the Emir of Kaiama, Muazu Umar, regretted the massacre of some members of the community during the February attacks.

Alhaji Umar said, “Throughout the six months and four days, we have been in turmoil. We thank God we are able to get here. Though, we lost some people in the process.

“Our appreciation goes to the President for his support. For the people who are still in captivity, we pray that one day they will be rescued.”

In his brief remarks, General Rume said, “It was a sad event, but today I am happy to present to you the people whom, through the combined efforts of the security agencies, we have been able to rescue.

“Again, I thank the other security agencies that have been helpful in the efforts we have been making. This event is an example of the synergy that exists among security agencies in the country. As we continue to fight insurgency and banditry in the state, we thank the governor for his support, direction and logistics, and we commit ourselves that our efforts will not wane.

“You will agree with me that this year there has been a reduction in the incidents we have recorded in the state. I pray that we will win the battle against our enemies.”

Also speaking, Chairman of Kaiama Local Government, Abubakar Danladi, said, “We are highly delighted to gather here to witness the handing over of our people who were kidnapped in Woro. We are happy to be here to receive them wholeheartedly. We pray that we will never witness this type of incident again in our communities, Kwara State and, of course, Nigeria as a whole.”