Conflict · Nigeria frees 308 · ArchiveNigeria Frees 308 After 6 Months in Largest Single-Day RescueAired August 9, 2026 at 11:03 AM UTCWritten September 7, 2026 at 9:22 PM UTCRead the write-upThis storyTranscript · LOADING0:00Security forces freed [music] 308 people0:02on Thursday after 6 months in captivity.0:05Women and children abducted in [music]0:06February from Niger State and Kwara0:08State in an operation the government0:10calls the largest single-day [music]0:11rescue in national history. A joint0:13operation by the army, intelligence0:16services, and police [music] extracted0:17the entire group at once, ending a0:20half-year captivity that began in0:21February. The abductions followed0:23[music] February attacks that burned a0:25village to the ground and killed dozens.0:27The violent context fueling a wider mass0:29kidnapping crisis across Nigeria. Inside0:32captivity, food [music] came0:33intermittently. Mothers slept with0:35children in harsh conditions, illness0:37spread with little medical care, and0:39[music] pregnant women gave birth with0:40help from a fellow captive who is a0:42nurse. 46 people were hospitalized0:44[music] after the rescue, while the0:46remaining survivors are sheltered in0:47Kwara State awaiting the journey home.0:50Families who went 6 [music] months0:51unable to sleep or eat from worry now0:53express relief and gratitude, while the0:55president vows to continue operations0:56[music] to restore peace to every corner0:58of the country. Leaving the immediate1:00test whether the 46 [music] hospitalized1:02recover, all 308 reach home safely, and1:05the next abduction can be prevented.1:07Those details come from a single1:08combined account of security force1:10statements [music] with survivor and1:11family testimony, and have not yet1:13received broader independent1:14confirmation.Explore with HeyDexThe shortThe short ↗