President Bola Tinubu has ordered the deployment of an army battalion to Kaiama local government area of Kwara state after a deadly attack that killed dozens of villagers.
In a statement issued on Wednesday, Bayo Onanuga, special adviser to the president on information and strategy, said the troops will lead Operation Savannah Shield to halt further attacks and protect vulnerable communities.
Tinubu condemned the assault and described it as “cowardly and beastly.”
“The killers will not go scot-free,” the president said.
Villages attacked, homes razed
Gunmen, believed to be extremists, attacked Woro and Nuku villages overnight. They killed residents and set homes and shops ablaze.
The attackers also burnt the residence of the traditional ruler. Many villagers fled to nearby communities.
Saidu Baba Ahmed, a lawmaker from the area, told BBC Hausa that the attackers targeted defenceless communities and triggered mass displacement.
Security officials said troops have moved into the area to restore order.
Tinubu praises villagers’ resistance
Tinubu said the attackers targeted villagers who rejected extremist indoctrination.
He noted that the residents refused violent ideology and chose a peaceful practice of Islam.
“It is commendable that the community members, even though Muslims, refused to be conscripted into a weird belief that promotes violence over peace and dialogue,” he said.
The president urged federal and state agencies to work together. He asked them to provide relief for victims and support affected communities.
Conflicting death toll figures
Meanwhile, reports on the number of casualties continue to differ.
Kwara governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said 75 people were “massacred in cold blood.”
Earlier, Ahmed told BBC Hausa that at least 35 people were killed.
However, rights groups reported higher figures.
Babaomo Ayodeji, a Red Cross official in Kwara, told AFP that reports put the death toll at 162, adding that search efforts were ongoing.
Amnesty International said more than 170 people died. The group said gunmen shot many victims at close range and burned others alive.
Amnesty also reported abductions. It criticised what it called a “stunning absence of security” before the attack and demanded an investigation.
Regional insecurity spreads
In a related incident, Amnesty International said gunmen killed at least 21 people in Doma village, Katsina state.
The attacks have raised concerns about the spread of violence from Nigeria’s northeast into north-central and western regions.
Condolences, assurance of justice
Tinubu condoled with the families of the victims. He also sympathised with the people and government of Kwara state.
He prayed for the dead and assured Nigerians that security agencies would hunt down the attackers.
“The federal government will not relent,” Tinubu said, as troops began moving into the affected communities.
