Gunmen have killed over 100 people on Tuesday night following a deadly attack on Woro and Nuku communities in the Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State by Islamic militants, while several people were also killed after bandits pounced on Abande community in Mbaikyor Ward, Turan, Kwande LG of Benue State.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, however, confirmed the death of 75 persons.
The governor disclosed the figure on Wednesday night while addressing residents at the palace of the Emir of Kaiama, explaining that the victims were “local Muslims massacred for refusing to surrender to extremists preaching a strange doctrine.”
He added that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved the immediate deployment of an Army battalion to the area to prosecute counter-offensives code-named Operation Savannah Shield.
Lakurawa, an armed group linked to the Islamic State Sahel Province, is believed to have carried out the attack. The latest development has further put the Federal Government’s security campaign under public scrutiny.
The lawmaker representing the area in the House of Representatives, Mohammed Bio, also confirmed the attack on Wednesday night.
However, Bio said he was not sure of the fatality figures, citing the conflicting reports from the affected communities.
“There are conflicting reports about the killings. Some of the reports say about 100 people were killed, others say 100 plus, and others say about 160. We don’t have the correct report.
“These are reports coming from the communities, but we don’t have the exact figures. There are killings, but no one can ascertain the correct number. We are calling on the Federal Government to step in and assist us in protecting lives and property. The situation is quite devastating.”
Sources within the communities revealed the death toll might be higher than officially acknowledged, with about 70 persons reportedly buried in a mass grave at Woro community on Wednesday afternoon.
Residents said the attackers had earlier moved around border villages in neighbouring Niger State, preaching that locals should abandon Nigeria’s constitution and embrace Islamic law.
One source said, “When they brought the same message to Woro and Nuku, some people challenged them. That angered the bandits, and they opened fire on the gathering, shooting indiscriminately.”
Another resident revealed that the group had earlier attempted to preach in the Baburasa community in Borgu area, but were rejected by the village head.
Some reports suggested the attackers operated from forests around the Borgu axis, with security analysts linking them to extremist elements suspected to be expanding sleeper operations in border communities.
Meanwhile, survivors narrated their heartbreaking experiences. The head of Woro village, Alhaji Umar Tanko, told the Kaiama council chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Danladi, that he lost his daughter and two sons, while his junior wife and two others were abducted.
“I was in my shop when they arrived. They shot my children and took my second wife away,” he said.
Another resident, Razaq Abdulazeez, said he narrowly escaped with his family after seeing people running towards the outskirts of town.
“Those who couldn’t run climbed trees to avoid the attackers,” he added.
Reacting to the incident, the Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has announced the deployment of an army battalion to the western state of Kwara, after gunmen stormed the community of Woro on Tuesday evening, killing at least 170 people. A further 21 people were killed in a separate attack in the city of Katsina in northern Nigeria, with gunmen murdering people as they moved from house to house.
In a statement published on social media late on Wednesday, Tinubu said the military command would spearhead the effort, codenamed Operation Savannah Shield, “to checkmate the barbaric terrorists and protect defenceless communities”.
He condemned the attack as “cowardly and barbaric”, saying the gunmen targeted villagers who had rejected attempts to impose hardline rule.
“It is commendable that community members, even though Muslims, refused to be conscripted into a belief that promotes violence over peace,” Tinubu said in a statement.
Although no group has claimed responsibility, residents told the Reuters news agency the attackers were religious hardliners who had long preached in the village, urging locals to abandon the Nigerian state.
The state government blamed “terrorist cells”, and Tinubu and locals blamed the attack on Boko Haram.
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Also reacting to the incident, Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, called for intensified military action along the Niger border axis.
“I am calling for an escalation of operations to flush out these criminals. Communities must also cooperate fully with security agencies,” he said, while condoling the Emir of Kaiama and the families of the victims.
Also, the Senator representing Kwara Central, Saliu Mustapha, urged the deployment of more troops in the affected areas, describing the attack as a tragic reminder of the need for stronger vigilance and community cooperation.
The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party also condemned the attack, calling it “despicable and inhuman,” and warned that insecurity in the state required more than sympathy messages.
“This incident shows that Kwara is far from overcoming banditry. What is needed is decisive and people-oriented leadership,” the party said in a statement.
The latest assault comes amid growing concerns over the spread of banditry and extremist violence across parts of north-central Nigeria, with rural communities increasingly becoming targets despite ongoing security operations.
Meanwhile, findings indicate that about 271 people have been killed, while 253 others were abducted in a series of terrorist attacks in the past four weeks across several states.
The attacks occurred in communities in Niger, Kaduna, Kwara, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara states.
No fewer than 177 church worshippers were abducted in Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State earlier in the month.
Other affected areas include Kasuwan Daji Market in Niger State, where at least 60 people were killed; Damala village, where four residents were killed; and Doma community in Katsina State, where 20 people lost their lives.
In addition to the 177 worshippers in Kajuru, four people were abducted in Tudun Bussa, Kaduna State, including a pastor and his three children, while six residents were kidnapped in Unguwar Barkonu in Maraban Kajuru.
Other abductions have occurred in Maraban Rido, Kikwari Village, and along highways in Kwara and Sokoto states.
Commenting on the massacre in Kwara, a former governor of the state, Bukola Saraki, condemned the incident, describing it as a national disaster.
The ex-Senate President, in a Facebook post, noted that the killings were beyond the capacity of the state government and now require decisive, direct federal intervention.
He wrote, ‘’Yesterday’s killing of over 100 people in Woro community, Kaiama Local Government Area, is a national disaster. What we are witnessing in parts of Kwara State—particularly in the northern and southern senatorial districts—has gone beyond the capacity of the state government and now requires decisive, direct federal intervention.
“What we require now to stop this mass destruction of lives and properties in our state and to restore harmony is the decisive and direct intervention from President Tinubu. We call on the Commander-in-Chief to direct the General Officer Commanding of the Second Mechanised Infantry Division, Ibadan, to second his men to deploy into the troubled districts of Kwara State and to establish a base in the affected areas.
“There is also the need for other security agencies to work together and have a strong presence across our state. That is the only way we can deter these assailants.
“The insurgents who are running away from the firepower of the security agencies in other states in the North-Central zone should not be allowed to find a comfort zone in Kwara State.
“Kwara State is too strategic to this country that we should not allow insurgency to gain ground there. It is a state located in the middle of the country and serves as a bridge between the North and the Southwest. It also has an international border with the Republic of Benin and shares borders with many other states.”
He consoled the Woro community, particularly the families that lost their loved ones.
“May Almighty Allah comfort them and grant them the strength and fortitude to bear the loss. Also, may He heal all the wounded.
“However, we should not limit our reaction to this sad development to mere press comments. We should ensure that this violence against our people does not happen again anywhere in Kwara State,” he noted.
Saraki admonished the federal and state governments, as well as the councils, to play their parts in protecting lives and property.
“Kwara State has not always been this unsafe. The state has always been a peaceful place, and that is why it earned the sobriquet ‘State of Harmony’. Unfortunately, things have gone this badly.
“The level of killings, arson, and displacement of people that we are witnessing now is unprecedented.
There must be decisive measures to stop this orchestrated violence against the people. It is an unfortunate situation. This attack in Woro is a national emergency.
“What these criminals did in Woro was to wage war against Nigeria. It is a war the country must win, without delay. May Almighty Allah (SWT) give our country victory over these non-state actors.”