The Federal Government has confirmed a devastating terrorist attack in Kwara State, with Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq stating 75 people were killed in Woro and Nuku communities, Kaiama Local Government, on Tuesday night.
Contradicting earlier higher estimates, the governor addressed residents at the Emir of Kaiama’s palace on Wednesday, calling the victims “local Muslims massacred for refusing to surrender to extremists preaching a strange doctrine.”
He announced that President Bola Tinubu approved the immediate deployment of an Army battalion to the area for a counter-offensive dubbed “Operation Savannah Shield.”
Conflicting fatality figures persist. The lawmaker representing the area, Mohammed Bio, told The PUNCH, “We don’t have the correct report… Some reports say about 100 people were killed, others say 100 plus, and others say about 160.” Sources indicated about 70 victims were buried in a mass grave in Woro on Wednesday afternoon.
Survivors recounted horror. The village head of Woro, Alhaji Umar Tanko, told officials he lost a daughter and two sons, while his junior wife was abducted. Another resident, Razaq Abdulazeez, described scenes of panic: “Those who couldn’t run climbed trees to avoid the attackers.”
The attack is attributed to Lakurawa, an armed group linked to the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP). Residents said the militants had been preaching in border villages, demanding allegiance to Sharia law instead of the Nigerian constitution, and opened fire when challenged.
Opposition parties criticized the government’s response. The Peoples Democratic Party in Kwara described the governor’s statement as “cosmetic” and lacking concrete reassurance, calling for immediate humanitarian relief. The New Nigeria People’s Party urged a total overhaul of the nation’s security architecture.
Former Senate President Bukola Saraki termed the killings a “national disaster” requiring decisive federal intervention. “Kwara State is too strategic to this country that we should not allow insurgency to gain ground there,” he stated.
The attack is part of a broader wave of violence. Findings indicate 271 people have been killed and 253 abducted in terrorist attacks across Niger, Kaduna, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara states in the past four weeks.
In a related incident in Benue State, bandits attacked Abande community in Kwande LGA on Tuesday, killing several, including a police officer, and burning parts of a local market.
The Senate, meanwhile, expressed deep concern over fresh attacks in Katsina State, urging President Tinubu to fulfil a pledge to establish a military barracks in the troubled Funtua Zone, where 35 people were reportedly killed within 24 hours.
