Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has disclosed that no fewer than 75 residents were killed during a brutal terrorist attack on two villages in Kaiama Local Government Area of the state.
Naijaonpoint reports that the governor made the disclosure on Wednesday during a visit to the affected communities, where he was accompanied by security chiefs and members of the state executive council.
The attacks occurred on Tuesday evening in Woro and Nuku villages, where armed men reportedly stormed the communities, rounded up residents, tied their hands and opened fire indiscriminately.
Confirming the incident, the Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the attack began around 6 p.m. on Tuesday.
She added that security agencies have since been deployed to the area, noting that investigations are ongoing, particularly regarding missing persons, while casualty figures were still being verified.
However, AbdulRazaq insisted that at least 75 villagers were killed, describing the attack as a cowardly act of terror carried out by extremists frustrated by the community’s resistance.
A video shared on the Kwara State Government’s official X handle showed the governor addressing traditional rulers and survivors in a palace setting, flanked by military officers and community leaders.
“We commiserate with you over the death of 75 of your subjects. May Allah grant them Aljana Firdaus,” AbdulRazaq said.
“And from the information I’ve been getting, this village refused to succumb to a perverted form of Islamic doctrine.
“They are lying under their immolation, abiding by their Islamic faith. These villagers did not want any alteration.
“And because they refused to change their doctrine, they were attacked and massacred.”
The governor added that unlike previous attacks involving kidnapping or looting, the incident was a deliberate mass killing.
“This was not about ransacking or abduction. This was a pure massacre, and it is something we totally condemn,” he said.
AbdulRazaq announced that Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate deployment of an army battalion to the area under Operation Savannah Shield to pursue the attackers and restore security.
He assured residents that the federal and state governments would not abandon the affected communities and that decisive action was underway to neutralise the terrorist threat in the Kainji–Kaiama axis.