Some women and children recently released from terrorist captivity in Kwara State have reportedly revealed how traders and residents living around forest communities supplied their captors with food, medicines, clothes, fuel and motorcycles.
According to SaharaReporters, relatives of the freed victims said the alleged supply network enabled the terrorists to survive for months and sustain their operations from remote forest hideouts.
The victims were among residents abducted from Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State during a deadly attack in February 2026.
A relative of two of the released abductees told SaharaReporters that his aunt and sister described how people from nearby communities regularly transported essential supplies into the forest.
Supplies Allegedly Sold at Inflated Prices
The relative alleged that the suppliers charged the terrorists unusually high prices for the goods but continued trading with them because the criminal groups were willing to pay.
The items reportedly supplied included food, medicines, clothing materials, fuel and motorcycles.
“They depend on these people for what they eat and other things they need,” the relative said.
He explained that the availability of food and other essential materials made it possible for the terrorists to remain in the forest for extended periods without exhausting their supplies.
The revelation raises concerns about the local commercial and logistical networks allegedly sustaining terrorist groups operating across forests in parts of North-Central Nigeria.
Terrorists Allegedly Patronised Local Markets
The relative further alleged that some members of the terrorist groups occasionally left their hideouts to buy goods directly from nearby markets.
He claimed that some traders knew the identities of the buyers but continued conducting business with them.
The terrorists were also said to have regularly purchased motorcycles and obtained fuel through people who transported the products into the forest.
Motorcycles are frequently used by armed groups to navigate difficult forest terrain, move between communities and carry out attacks or abductions.
According to the account, the alleged supply chain gave the terrorists access to the logistical support required to feed their members, transport supplies and maintain their presence in remote areas.
The claims have not been independently verified, and the individuals accused of supplying the terrorists were not identified in the report.
Victims Raise Fresh Questions Over Release
The latest disclosure follows earlier claims concerning the circumstances surrounding the release of the Woro abductees.
A relative of some of the victims had previously told SaharaReporters that two members of his family claimed they witnessed a helicopter deliver money to their captors shortly before they regained their freedom.
The alleged delivery was said to have occurred about four or five days before the abductees were released.
The Federal Government, however, maintained that the victims were freed through an intelligence-led security operation and that no ransom was paid.
President Bola Tinubu announced that 163 people abducted from Woro were among at least 308 hostages rescued from forests in what the government described as Nigeria’s largest single-day hostage rescue operation.
The alleged helicopter payment has not been independently established and remains contrary to the Federal Government’s account of the operation.
Thirteen Victims Reportedly Died
SaharaReporters reported that 176 people, predominantly women and children, were abducted during the February attack on Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities.
While 163 victims were officially handed over to the authorities after their release, relatives claimed that 13 abductees died while in captivity.
The February attack reportedly involved heavily armed terrorists who invaded Woro on motorcycles, killed residents, destroyed properties and abducted women and children.
The accounts from the released victims have intensified calls for security agencies to investigate the supply networks allegedly supporting terrorist groups operating in forests around Kwara and neighbouring states.
Such an investigation could help identify traders, informants, transporters and other individuals suspected of enabling the movement of food, fuel, medicines, motorcycles and other supplies into terrorist-controlled areas.
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