40 Feared Dead As Gunmen Attack Kwara Communities •

Gunmen have attacked the Woro and Nuku communities of the Kaiama local government area of Kwara State, reportedly killing 40 people.

Many families lost their loved ones in the attack, while several houses were reportedly burnt by the hoodlums.

Sources said that the bandits had come to preach to residents in the two communities, urging them to ignore the Nigerian Constitution.

During the sermon, there were dissenting voices to the preaching, which infuriated the bandits, prompting them to open fire on the villagers.

“The angry bandits opened attack indiscriminately on the congregation, and no fewer than 40 residents of the two communities died; few of them escaped.

“They should be preparing mass burial for them as we speak,” said the local source who confided in TRUST BASE NEWS.

The Kwara State Government, through the Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, confirmed the attack.

In a statement on Wednesday, Ajakaye said Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq mourned victims of the Kaiama attack, saying that security forces had continued to improve on counterterrorism operations.

“Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is saddened by the cowardly attack on civilians in Woro and Nuku communities of Kaiama Local Government Area,” the statement read.

“The Governor condemns the attack, which he says is a cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells following the ongoing counterterrorism campaigns in parts of the state and the successes so far recorded.

“Governor AbdulRazaq says the attack was apparently to distract the security forces who have successfully hunted down several terrorist and kidnapping gangs across many parts of the state.

“The Governor expresses heartfelt condolences to the Woro and Nuku communities on the sad incident, especially the families affected in the Tuesday attack,” it added.

Soldiers, Forest Guards Take Over

Meanwhile, soldiers and forest guards have taken over the communities to forestall further attacks in the area.

A resident of the community told journalists that the attack was a breach of the peace that Kwara State has been enjoying recently.

“The casualties are over 40 as we speak, and soldiers and Forest Guards have taken over the two communities. It’s such a very sad development at a time we think we are having peace from the bandits’ attacks of the past,” she said.

It was the deadliest assault recorded this year in the district bordering Niger state, an area increasingly targeted by armed gangs.

Banditry and armed attacks on rural communities have surged across the northwest and north-central regions in recent years as non-state actors raid villages, kidnap residents, and loot livestock.

Kwara State has reported a rise in attacks near the border with Niger State.