The February assault that triggered one of the largest single incidents unfolded in Woro, a village in Kwara state near the border with Benin. He said the rescue included 163 victims from Woro and 145 from Niger State. Sprawling, often sparsely governed forests and reserves across the country have turned into hideouts for Nigerian criminal groups. Media reports had estimated that 176 people were kidnapped, but as recently as last Friday police in Kwara state said that figure was unsubstantiated. Just months before the Woro attack, the Al-Qaeda-linked Group for the Support of Islam and Muslims (JNIM) claimed its first operation on Nigerian soil in the state, near Woro.