Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has visited the Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area, following a deadly attack in which scores of residents were killed by terrorists.
The governor, who was accompanied by security chiefs, described the incident as genocide and assured that the perpetrators, along with criminal elements operating across the affected areas, would be flushed out within a month.
During a visit to the palace of the Emir of Kaiama, Muazu Omar, Abdulrazaq confirmed that troops had been deployed to strengthen security in the Kaiama axis.
He explained that a battalion of soldiers under Operation Savannah Shield had been dispatched to pursue the attackers in Kaiama and surrounding areas, including parts of the National Park extending into neighbouring Niger State.
According to official accounts, the attackers targeted villagers who refused to submit to indoctrination by an extremist group identified as Mamuda.
The Emir of Kaiama, who was visibly emotional, stated that about 75 villagers were massacred for rejecting what he described as un-Islamic teachings being forced on them.
Meanwhile, a member of the Kwara State House of Assembly representing Gwanabe/Gweria/Bani/Adena constituency, Ahmed Baba, initially estimated the death toll at between 35 and 40, noting that more bodies could still be discovered as wounded villagers fled into nearby bushes.
The attack, which also affected Nuku community, was reportedly marked by indiscriminate shootings. Two vehicles belonging to the village head were said to have been used by the assailants to transport abducted residents.
Several houses were also set ablaze, leaving many families grieving and displaced.
In the aftermath, soldiers and forest guards were deployed to prevent further assaults, while the state government imposed curfews in some areas and temporarily closed schools before ordering them to reopen.
Security operations have since been intensified as the Nigerian military continues coordinated offensives against terrorists and armed bandits in the region.
