President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate deployment of an Army battalion to Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State following a deadly terrorist attack that reportedly left at least 75 people dead.
The deployment, which will operate under a new security initiative tagged Operation Savannah Shield, is aimed at restoring peace and preventing further attacks in the affected communities.
The incident occurred on Tuesday night in Woro and Nuku communities, where armed extremists reportedly stormed the villages and carried out a mass killing of residents, most of whom were Muslims.
In a statement released on Wednesday night by Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President condemned the attack, describing it as cruel and inhuman.
Tinubu expressed outrage over the killings, stating that the attackers deliberately targeted innocent villagers in what he described as a desperate campaign of terror.
The statement noted that the President ordered the battalion’s deployment to serve as a special command that would coordinate military operations in the area, track the perpetrators, and protect vulnerable communities.
The President also praised the villagers for refusing to accept extremist teachings despite being Muslims, noting that their decision to uphold peaceful religious practice was courageous.
According to the statement, Tinubu urged both federal and state authorities to work together to provide relief to survivors and ensure that those responsible for the massacre are arrested and prosecuted.
He also offered condolences to families of the victims and prayed for the souls of those killed.
Meanwhile, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who visited the area alongside security chiefs, described the killings as a targeted massacre against Muslims who refused to embrace what he called a distorted religious doctrine.
Speaking at the Emir of Kaiama’s palace, the governor condemned the incident and said the victims were attacked simply because they resisted attempts to force extremist beliefs on them.
AbdulRazaq said the attack was different from the usual cases of kidnapping and robbery, calling it a deliberate mass slaughter that must be strongly condemned.
The incident has raised fresh concerns about the increasing spread of violent extremism and banditry into parts of the North-Central region, especially Kwara State, which has recorded repeated attacks and kidnappings in recent months.
