Tension is mounting in Kwara State after terrorists suspected to be Boko Haram fighters threatened to execute 176 women and children abducted from Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area if their demands are not met within one week.

The hostages, taken in a large-scale raid on Woro and the nearby Kososo area, are being used to pressure the Nigerian government into negotiations. Community members say the ultimatum was delivered through phone calls allowed by the captors after a Jumu’ah prayer session.

The traditional ruler of Woro, Salihu Bio, whose wife is among those held, confirmed the threat. He said one of the abductees was permitted to call her family and convey the militants’ warning that “drastic actions” would follow if authorities failed to respond.

According to Bio, the terrorists complained that the government was not treating the crisis with urgency, despite the costs they claimed to be incurring to keep the captives alive. He added that the caller reported the victims were being taught Arabic and Islamic studies by their captors, suggesting an attempt at ideological indoctrination.

A community source, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisals, said the militants had gone further, threatening to forcibly marry off some of the girls and kill those they deemed “liabilities” if negotiations stalled. The source described the community as “helpless,” stressing that many of the abductees are wives, daughters and young children of local residents.

In a video released by the group, an armed militant claimed responsibility for the abductions and boasted that the victims’ “way of life” had been changed. He said the hostages had been allowed to appeal to the government, framing the one-week deadline as a “final opportunity” for authorities to respond.

The mass kidnapping has deepened fears that extremist cells are entrenching themselves in parts of North-Central Nigeria traditionally seen as outside Boko Haram’s core strongholds. Residents say they feel abandoned, with limited security presence and no clear communication from officials.

Efforts to obtain a formal response from the Kwara State Police Command have so far been unsuccessful, as calls and messages to the command’s spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, went unanswered.