President Bola Tinubu stated that the Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, has briefed him on the terror incident in Woro, a village in Kaiama Local Government Area.
The president disclosed this in an X post Thursday night after the two leaders met at the Presidential Villa in Abuja. In an earlier statement issued by his spokesperson, Bayo Onanuga, the president condemned the attack, saying the victims were targeted for rejecting extremists’ ideology.
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“I condemn in the strongest terms this cowardly and beastly attack,” Mr Tinubu said. “The gunmen are heartless for choosing soft targets in their doomed campaign of terror. Their actions offend our humanity, our faith, and our shared values as a nation.”
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the president had ordered the deployment of an army battalion into the local government area.
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Boko Haram terrorists under the command of Mallam Sadiku invaded the village on Tuesday and reigned terror till the early hours of Wednesday.
The attack, according to Salihu Umar, the village head of Woro, lasted for several hours without the intervention of security personnel.
Mr Umar told our reporter that two of his sons were among 75 people buried so far in the aftermath of the attack. He said the terrorists kidnapped his wife and three daughters.
While the traditional authorities and the state government estimated the death toll at 75, sources in the area said the casualty is over a hundred.
The police have not confirmed the official casualty figures.
Mr Tinubu said the new army battalion “will spearhead Operation Savannah Shield to checkmate these barbaric terrorists and protect defenceless communities.”
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“It is commendable that the community members, even though Muslims, refused to be conscripted into a weird belief that promoted violence over peace and dialogue,” Mr Tinubu said. “Nigeria will never surrender its people to extremism and terrorism masquerading as faith.”
He said he had directed close collaboration between federal and state agencies to provide immediate support and relief to the affected community.
He said the agencies that have been tasked to hunt down those responsible for the attack “just like other terrorists before them.”
“They will not go scot-free,” he said.
The president prayed that those killed in the attack find eternal rest, and extended his “deepest condolences” to their families.
“I also sympathise with the people and government of Kwara State,” he said, adding: “The Federal Government stands with you.”
“We will protect our communities, defend our values, and defeat those who seek to divide us through terror,” the president vowed.
