Amirah Salihu, a nurse and daughter of the chief of Woro community, has shared harrowing details of her nearly six-month captivity following the February 3 terrorist attack on Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area, Kwara State.
Salihu was among the 176 women and children abducted during the attack. In an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, she described the brutal conditions she and other captives endured.
Salihu recounted that they were given extremely poor food: “The day we arrived, they dropped guinea corn with just salt and Maggi for us. Every day after that, it was only a bag of corn—no oil, no pepper, nothing. Sometimes, not even Maggi, just salt.” She added that they occasionally received kuka, a local food, but this too was eventually stopped.
The captives were forced to sleep in the open, often near a river, even during heavy rains. “They kept us inside the river area. Rain would fall, and if we tried to make a fire, they ordered us to put it out,” Salihu said.
As a nurse, Salihu provided critical help to other captives. “When a pregnant woman went into labor, the abductors asked if there was a nurse among us. I said no at first, but I ended up helping about 10 women deliver their babies—without gloves, just my bare hands.” Eventually, the terrorists learned of her skills and tried to persuade her to stay with them, but she refused.
Salihu also spoke about the ideology of the attackers: They claimed they were working for Allah, and that our way of life our constitution and democracy was wrong. They said they wanted us to live strictly by the Quran. That’s why they attacked our village and killed people.
Tragically, Salihu lost two brothers in the attack. They killed my senior and junior brothers. They said it was because my father, the chief, did not allow them into our village. He had brought soldiers to protect us, but the attackers came after the soldiers had left. She recognized the attackers as Boko Haram members by their appearance.
When asked about sexual violence, Salihu stated, “There were no cases of rape or sexual assault.
The abductees were released on Wednesday after nearly six months in captivity. The Kwara State Government reported that 13 children died during that period, while 12 others remain unaccounted for. Other survivors described severe hunger and deprivation, often eating only once daily and sleeping in the forest.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq received the rescued victims in Ilorin, expressing condolences to families who lost loved ones and thanking President Bola Tinubu and the military for their efforts. He also visited a general hospital where 14 sick victims, including three women who gave birth while in captivity, were receiving treatment.
