The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed that at least 75 people were killed in a deadly attack on Woro, Nuku and other neighbouring communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, disclosed this during an interview, describing the incident as a “dastardly act” while assuring residents that investigations are ongoing.
“The present toll of casualties that we have from that dastardly act that happened is 75. Investigations are still ongoing, and we will continue to update members of the public as necessary,” she said.
According to Ejire-Adeyemi, the Kwara State Police Command was alerted shortly after the attack, prompting the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, to order the immediate deployment of personnel to the affected communities.
“When this incident happened, the Kwara State Police Command was informed accordingly, and the Commissioner of Police deployed personnel immediately to that community. Police personnel, alongside the military and the National Forest Guard, moved in almost immediately after the incident,” she stated.
She explained that access to the communities posed a major operational challenge, noting that the affected areas are located about two hours from the Kaiama divisional headquarters.
Responding to reports that the attackers may have stayed in the communities before launching the assault, Ejire-Adeyemi said security agencies are still investigating.
“The police are still investigating the information that the perpetrators had probably stayed in that town for a while before carrying out that dastardly act. It is really an unfortunate incident, and we are working tirelessly to ensure that such an event does not occur again,” she added.
The police spokesperson also revealed that recent clearance operations in Kwara and neighbouring Kogi State had disrupted armed groups, leading to relative peace prior to the latest attack.
“In the last month, there have been clearance operations in Kwara State and Kogi State, which have in a way disorganised these bandits. We had been experiencing relative peace in Kwara South until this incident occurred in Kwara North,” she said.
Ejire-Adeyemi further disclosed that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the reinforcement of security across the area.
“The Inspector-General of Police has ensured that adequate security is beefed up in that environment. As of this moment, it is relatively peaceful, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend these miscreants. We are committed to ensuring that such an occurrence does not happen again,” she noted.
She confirmed that a police post existed in Woro village at the time of the attack and that officers were on duty. However, addressing residents’ claims that reinforcements arrived nearly 10 hours after the violence began, Ejire-Adeyemi admitted that personnel on ground may have been overwhelmed.
“At that moment, I believe they were probably overwhelmed. We also have collaboration with local vigilantes in that community, and most importantly, the National Forest Guard is also present there.
“Because of the distance from the community to the divisional headquarters, it took time before reinforcements arrived, but definitely, reinforcements came,” she said, acknowledging that stronger security presence could have helped repel the attackers.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Police Force has condemned the killings, confirming that a manhunt is underway for those responsible. The Inspector-General of Police has ordered the immediate deployment of tactical, operational and intelligence assets to Kaiama Local Government Area.
Gunmen had attacked Woro and Nuku communities killing dozens of residents, burning shops and a traditional ruler’s residence, and forcing many families to flee their homes. Some reports suggest the casualty figure may be higher.
Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, described the incident as a “pure massacre,” confirming that at least 75 victims had already been buried.
President Bola Tinubu has also ordered the deployment of an army battalion to reinforce security in the state under Operation Savannah Shield.
Political groups, including a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Northern States Governors’ Forum, have condemned the killings, describing them as barbaric and reflective of worsening insecurity in the region.
