At least 75 people have been confirmed dead following a coordinated attack by armed bandits on several communities in Kwara State, in what residents have described as one of the deadliest assaults in the area in recent years.
The traditional head of Woro community, Umar Bio Salihu, disclosed that the attackers operated unhindered for nearly 10 hours, moving from village to village, killing residents and burning homes before security forces eventually arrived.
According to Salihu, the assault began in the evening, but repeated distress calls for help went unanswered for hours.
“I called after 5pm, but they did not come until about 3am. That is about 10 hours,” he said.
By the time troops arrived, several villages had been razed, with scores of residents killed and many others forced to flee into nearby bushes for safety. Salihu added that most of the victims were Muslims and claimed the attack was linked to the community’s refusal to accept the ideology of the Mamuda group, which has reportedly been active in parts of the region.
Survivors described scenes of chaos and terror, with families separated and properties worth millions of naira destroyed in the coordinated violence.
In response to the massacre, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has approved the immediate deployment of an Army battalion to the affected areas to restore order and prevent further attacks. Security agencies have also been directed to intensify operations to flush out the perpetrators and reassure displaced residents.
As of the time of filing this report, many communities remain deserted, with residents calling on the federal and state governments to ensure lasting security and bring those responsible for the killings to justice.