ARMED bandits operated for nearly 10 hours in Woro community, Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, before security operatives eventually arrived, the village head, Umar Bio Salihu, has claimed.
Speaking on ARISE Television on Thursday, February 5, Salihu said the attackers stormed the community at about 5 p.m. and continued unchallenged until roughly 3 a.m. the following day, when soldiers finally reached the area.
“I called after 5pm, but they did not come until about 3am. That was from 5pm to about 3am. That is about 10 hours. The military did not attack them. The bandits had gone when the military came,” he added.
He further noted that the community had remained largely unprotected for months following the earlier withdrawal of troops previously stationed there after their base was attacked.
According to him, the absence of a sustained security presence gave room for repeated incursions by armed groups.
“Initially, we had a military base there. We had about 15 soldiers there. About three to five months ago, they attacked the soldiers. Since then, they evacuated them. We have no security presence in that area.
“That gave them the opportunity to come anytime, enter anytime and do whatever they like,” he stated.
The village head linked the latest violence to tensions between residents and a militant faction he identified as the Mamuda group, claiming the attackers struck after locals resisted pressure to accept the group’s ideology.
“Our people are not ready to take that ideology. I think that is what made them angry to come and attack the communities.”
He also dismissed suggestions that the killings reflected religious divisions, stating that most of those killed were Muslims.
The village head said he had earlier forwarded a threat letter allegedly sent by the attackers to security agencies.
“When they brought the letter, they brought it directly to me. That night, I sent the letter to the DSS in Kiama.
“The following day, I took the letter myself to the Emirate Council. They photocopied it. In that process, I think they lost the appropriate contact.
“When the security agents went on patrol after the letter, the terrorists became angry.”
He disclosed that at least 75 people killed during the attack had been buried, warning that the toll could rise as search efforts continued in surrounding bushes.
He said several houses, including parts of his own residence, were razed during the onslaught.
The casualty figure he provided differs from earlier reports that estimated the casualties from the coordinated attacks on Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities at between 160 and 170 people, according to multiple accounts cited by officials and residents.
The ICIR reports that the mass killing occurred barely weeks after President Bola Tinubu declared a national emergency on insecurity and announced fresh security officers’ deployments and recruitment to curb escalating violence.
Despite those measures and recent military claims of neutralising bandits and dismantling their camps across parts of Kwara, communities in Kaiama axis have continued to experience killings, abductions and repeated raids, underscoring persistent gaps in protection for rural settlements.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who visited the affected communities after the latest assault, described the incident as a cowardly act by terrorist elements and offered condolences to bereaved families.
He also stated that 75 persons were killed during the attack.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M