Bandits Operated for “10 Hours” in Kwara Community Before Soldiers Arrived — Village Head Recounts

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The head of Woro community in Kwara State, Umar Bio Salihu, has said armed bandits operated in the area for about 10 hours before security operatives arrived, resulting in dozens of deaths and the destruction of several villages.

Salihu, who spoke on ARISE Television on Thursday, said the attackers began their assault around 5pm, while soldiers only arrived at about 3am the following day.

“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 stated.

Salihu also said there was no air interdiction during the attack.

According to him, the community was left vulnerable after soldiers previously stationed there were withdrawn following an earlier assault on the base.

He said, “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.”

Salihu said the attackers were members of the Mamuda terrorist group, adding that the violence followed the community’s refusal 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 said.

He rejected claims that the killings were religiously motivated, noting that most of the victims were Muslims.

“The people they killed are mostly Muslims. About 95 per cent are Muslims and five per cent are Christians. They are not all Muslim, but the Muslims are the majority,” Salihu stated.

The village head said he had earlier reported a threat letter allegedly sent by the attackers to security agencies, expressing concerns that sensitive information may have been compromised.

“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 said.

Salihu said at least 75 people had been buried, adding that the death toll could rise as bodies were still being recovered from the bush.

He added that several villages were destroyed during the attack, including his own house.

“They burned almost half of the villages, including my house,” Salihu stated.

Salihu said Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq visited the affected communities and ordered the deployment of security personnel.

The Kwara killings are the latest in a series of attacks across parts of north-central and north-west Nigeria, where rural communities have faced repeated assaults by bandits and extremist groups despite ongoing military operations.

Reports indicate that in the past four weeks, hundreds of people have been killed or abducted in attacks across Niger, Kaduna, Kwara, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara states, increasing pressure on the Federal Government’s security strategy.

Meanwhile, President Bola Tinubu on Wednesday approved the immediate deployment of an Army battalion to the area under a new counter-offensive operation, as troops and forest guards moved into the affected communities to restore security.