Olushola Omogbehin
About 160 people have again been killed in a deadly attack on Woro village in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, on Tuesday night by gunmen.
The attack, which could be described as the deadliest in the state this year, came on late Tuesday after the military recently carried out operations in the area against what it called “terrorist elements”.
Confirming the death of 75 persons on Wednesday night while addressing residents at the palace of the Emir of Kaiama, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, explaining that the victims were “local Muslims massacred for refusing to surrender to extremists preaching a strange doctrine.”
He said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had ordered the immediate deployment of an Army battalion to the area to prosecute counter-offensives code-named Operation Savannah Shield.
Lakurawa, which is an armed group connected to the Islamic State Sahel Province, is suspected to have carried out the attack which has further put the Federal Government’s security campaign under public scrutiny.
An official of Red Cross and local authorities confirmed the figure, while residents recounted harrowing details of mass executions and arson carried out by the attackers.
The Secretary of the Kwara State chapter of the Red Cross, Babaomo Ayodeji, said the confirmed death toll stood at 162 as of Wednesday afternoon while local politician told Reuters that the figure could be as high as 170.
Narrating what happened to Reuter, Sa’idu Ahmed, a politician from the Kaiama axis, said the attackers rounded up villagers, tied their hands behind their backs and executed them. He added that homes and shops were also set ablaze during the assault.
He disclosed that many villagers fled into surrounding bushes with gunshot wounds, while several residents, including the village’s traditional ruler, were still missing as of Wednesday.
Meanwhile, as survivals continued to recount their ordeals, a government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said “75 victims were given mass burial this afternoon (Wednesday) at Woro community.”
