At least 75 residents were killed and several houses set ablaze when suspected terrorists attacked the Nuku and Woro communities in the Kaiama LGA of Kwara state.
Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the police spokesperson in Kwara, said the attack on the communities began at about 6pm on Tuesday.
Ejire-Adeyemi said security agencies had since been deployed to the affected areas but noted that the number of casualties remained uncertain, while reports of missing persons are still being investigated.
However, Rauf Ajakaye, the chief press secretary to AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, governor of Kwara, told TheCable that 75 residents were killed by the suspected terrorists during the attack.
He added that the victims, who were moderate Muslims, were killed for “refusing to surrender to extremists who preached a strange doctrine”.
Ajakaye said the governor arrived in Kaiama on Wednesday night in the company of service chiefs and cabinet members to commiserate with the communities and assess the situation.
TINUBU DEPLOYS TROOPS
According to him, AbdulRazaq, who was received by the Emir of Kaiama, announced that President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate deployment of an army battalion to prosecute counter offensives codenamed ‘Operation Savannah Shield’ in the communities.
The governor had on Tuesday condemned the attack, describing it as a “cowardly assault on innocent civilians” in the two communities.
He said the incident was likely an attempt by terrorist groups to distract security agencies amid ongoing counterterrorism operations in parts of the state.
The attack comes amid renewed security cooperation between Nigeria and the United States, with Washington confirming the deployment of a “small team” of troops to the country.
Dagvin Anderson, the general in charge of the US Africa Command (AFRICOM), disclosed the development during a press briefing on Tuesday.
It marks the first public acknowledgement of US troops operating on Nigerian soil since the Donald Trump administration authorised missile strikes against terrorist targets in Sokoto on Christmas Day.
Bandit groups, long active in Nigeria’s north-west, have in recent years expanded their operations into states such as Kwara and neighbouring Niger.
Jihadist groups linked to a Boko Haram splinter faction have also carried out attacks in Kwara, frequently targeting markets and vigilante groups.
