Nigerian security forces have freed 308 people held captive by armed groups in what the government describes as the largest single-day rescue operation in the country's history. The coordinated, intelligence-led mission was carried out by the National Counter Terrorism Centre in collaboration with the armed forces, the police, and the Department of State Services, and targeted the Kainji Lake National Park forest in New Bussa Local Government Area of Niger State, where the victims had been held.

Of those rescued, 163 were abducted from the Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State — a rural area near the border with Benin — during a devastating attack on 3 February, in which at least 200 people were killed. Suspected Boko Haram-linked fighters launched a coordinated, hours-long assault on the village, demanding that residents renounce the Nigerian government and its constitution and instead follow the group's teachings. Amnesty International reported that many of the dead had been found with their hands and feet bound; some had had their throats slit, others shot. The remaining 145 victims had been abducted in a series of separate attacks on communities in neighbouring Niger State. The rescued individuals are currently receiving medical care at the Wawa Cantonment military facility in Niger State before being reunited with their families.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu welcomed the outcome, calling it a major breakthrough in the country's fight against kidnapping and terrorism. "The successful execution of this intelligence-led operation demonstrates the growing efficiency and collaboration among our security services," he said in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga. The Kwara State government also praised the operation publicly, though its counterpart in Niger State had yet to make a formal statement. It remains unclear whether any suspects were detained during the mission.

The rescue comes amid deepening concern over the spread of insecurity beyond Nigeria's traditional conflict zones in the northeast. Kidnapping for ransom — carried out by Boko Haram-linked fighters, criminal gangs known as bandits, and other armed groups — has become a chronic crisis, with schools, churches, and mosques in vulnerable rural communities repeatedly targeted. In January, 177 people were abducted from churches in Kaduna State; last month, dozens of students and teachers held since May in Oyo State, in the country's south, were freed after a lengthy security operation. Following the latest rescue, President Tinubu directed security agencies to strengthen early warning systems, improve community-level intelligence gathering, and enhance rapid response capabilities to prevent future abductions.