Kwara massacre: Tinubu, Gov AbdulRazaq meet in Aso Villa
By Johnbosco Agbakwuru
ABUJA — PRESIDENT Bola Tinubu on Thursday, met with Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, at the Presidential Villa ,Abuja.
The meeting came on the heels of the deadly attack on Worro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
More than 100 people were killed in the community in what authorities described as an attack by suspected jihadist fighters.
But in a decisive strike against the rampaging terror gripping Nigeria’s heartland, President Tinubu ordered the deployment of a military battalion to parts of Kwara State following the deadly attack on Kaiama Local Government Area that left scores of residents dead.
Some of the drastic action include the appointment of a field commander and the immediate commencement of a military operation tagged Operation Savanna Shield.
This was disclosed on Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Onanuga, in a post on his verified X handle, @aonanuga1956, said the President’s intervention was aimed at providing immediate relief to affected communities and restoring security in the area.
The post read: “Help is on the way for the beleaguered people of Kaiama and others as President Tinubu orders the deployment of a military battalion, the appointment of a commander and the start of Operation Savanna Shield.”
The order comes amid a fresh horror: the massacre of 75 local Muslims who dared to reject the poisonous doctrine of extremists invading their land
In another post on X Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (@RealAARahman) had visited Kaiama tonight flanked by service chiefs and cabinet heavyweights.
“75 local Muslims were massacred simply for refusing to surrender to extremists who preached a strange doctrine,” the governor declared, painting a picture of unimaginable brutality in the once-peaceful Patigi local government area hub, 100 kilometers southwest of Kwara’s capital, Ilorin.
The federal action followed a brutal attack on Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area, where residents reportedly recovered the bodies of 78 persons killed by armed bandits who invaded the rural settlement on Tuesday.
The victims were buried on Wednesday evening after funeral prayers (janazah) were held around 6:30 p.m., shortly before the evening (magrib) prayers.
The lawmaker representing Gwanabe/Gwaria constituency in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Saidu Baba Ahmed, who witnessed the burial rites, confirmed the casualty figures.
He said the deceased included 75 males and three females, adding that 35 residents were abducted and taken into the bush by the attackers.
The launch of Operation Savanna Shield is expected to strengthen federal security presence in the area, stabilise affected communities and prevent further attacks, as residents continue to mourn the victims of the raid.
President Tinubu condemned the attack, describing it as cowardly and inhumane. He also expressed anger that the victims were targeted for rejecting extremist ideology in favour of a peaceful practice of Islam.
Tinubu called for closer collaboration between federal and state agencies to support affected communities and ensure those responsible for the attack are brought to justice.
Meanwhile, the President of the Senate, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the governors of Imo, Kebbi and Cross River states were also present at the Presidential Villa.
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