Kwara Community Accuses Soldiers of Arriving 10 Hours After Terrorist Attack

Residents of Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State have accused security forces of responding late to a deadly terrorist attack that lasted for several hours.

The village head, Umar Salihu, said armed men invaded the community and operated freely for about 10 hours before soldiers arrived.

He explained that the delay led to heavy casualties and massive destruction of property across the area.

Salihu said the attack started around 5:00 p.m. and continued into the early hours of the next day. He noted that repeated distress calls were made to security agencies, but help did not come on time.

“I called about 5p.m., but they did not come until about 3a.m. That was from 5p.m., to about 3a.m. That is about 10 hours.”

According to him, by the time troops finally reached the village, the attackers had already escaped. No confrontation took place between the soldiers and the terrorists.

“The military did not attack them. The bandits had gone when the military came.”

He added that there was no air operation during the assault.

“The plane did not engage them. They did not interdict. They did not drop any munition on them.”

The community leader revealed that Woro had been left exposed after soldiers previously stationed in the area were withdrawn following an earlier attack months ago. He said the absence of security created an opportunity for the terrorists to strike again.

“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 identified the attackers as members of the Mamuda terrorist group. He said the assault was linked to the community’s refusal to accept the group’s ideology.

“Exactly. Our people are not ready to take that ideology. I think that is what made them angry to come and attack the communities.”

He dismissed claims that the killings were religiously motivated, stressing that most of the victims were Muslims.

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

The village head also raised concern that sensitive security information may have been compromised. He disclosed that he had earlier received a threat letter and reported it to the authorities.

“When they brought the letter, they brought it directly to me. That night, I sent the letter to the Department of State Security, DSS in Kaiama.

“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.”

He suggested that the disclosure of the threat may have provoked the attackers.

“When the security agents went on patrol after the letter, the terrorists became angry.”

Salihu said at least 75 bodies had been buried, while more corpses were still being recovered from surrounding bushes. He added that nearly half of the community was destroyed in the attack.

“As of yesterday, we buried 75 people. But as I’m speaking with you, there are still corpses in the bush.

“They burnt almost half of the villages, including my house.”

Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters said troops were deployed to the area and have been carrying out patrols and surveillance operations. It described the incident as a cowardly attack on innocent civilians and expressed sadness over the loss of lives.

The Peoples Democratic Party also accused the Federal Government of ignoring early security warnings. The opposition party said the killings reflected the worsening insecurity across the country.

However, Salihu confirmed that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq visited the affected communities and ordered immediate reinforcement of security.