Bandits Kill Nearly 200 In Kwara And Katsina State

Military forces have been sent to Kwara State by President Tinubu in response to what he termed a “beastly attack.”

Almost 200 individuals have lost their lives in gun attacks spanning Kwara and Katsina States, as survivors conduct burials and security agencies track down those behind the violence.

After gunmen struck the Woro community on Tuesday evening, killing no fewer than 170 people, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu authorized sending an army battalion to Kwara State.

In a separate incident in Katsina, 21 people were killed as attackers went from one home to another shooting residents.

In a social media post on Wednesday evening, Tinubu announced that military leadership would oversee Operation Savannah Shield, intended “to checkmate the barbaric terrorists and protect defenceless communities.”

Describing the violence as “cowardly and barbaric,” the president said the perpetrators had attacked villagers who had refused to submit to extremist control.

“It is commendable that community members, even though Muslims, refused to be conscripted into a belief that promotes violence over peace,” the statement indicated.

Though no organization has accepted responsibility, Reuters spoke with local people who identified the gunmen as religious extremists previously present in the village, urging inhabitants to turn away from Nigerian state authority.

Officials from the state labeled the attacks as actions of “terrorist cells,” with Tinubu and community members alike attributing them to Boko Haram.

This represents the most devastating attack that Kwara State has experienced in recent months.

The assaults occurred after the military had recently conducted operations targeting what officials described as “terrorist elements” in the locality.

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According to Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, police spokesperson for Kwara, both law enforcement and military have been sent to the location for search-and-rescue missions to find wounded individuals and those possibly taken captive.

Security Lapses Labeled ‘Unacceptable’

Speaking to Reuters, local representative Saidu Baba Ahmed described how attackers assembled residents, restrained their hands behind them, and killed them by gunfire.

As the assault unfolded, villagers ran into nearby vegetation while the gunmen burned down houses and commercial establishments, according to his account.

Television stations in the area showed images from Woro depicting corpses in pools of blood, some with bound hands, and structures on fire.

The human rights organization Amnesty International denounced the “unacceptable” breakdown in security that permitted the attacks, highlighting that the assailants—who also set homes ablaze and pillaged stores—had been delivering threat letters to the village for over five months prior.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State characterized the attack as a “cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells” in response to continuous military action against militant groups operating in the state.

The previous month saw the military report initiating “sustained coordinated offensive operations against terrorist elements” with notable results. Reports from local news outlets stated the campaign led to the deaths of no fewer than 150 militants.

‘He begged for his life’

In Katsina, government officials and local inhabitants reported that armed men killed a minimum of 21 individuals on Tuesday, moving between houses to shoot their victims.

Rumatu Muhammed, a local woman, shared that her son was killed in the attack.

“He begged for his life, but they refused, saying no man would be spared,” she recounted.

“They went ahead and killed him.

“We don’t know the men who raided us,” she said further.

“We just heard gunshots as they raided our home.”

The assault brought an end to a six-month peace pact between local residents and the militant group.

The event further illustrated the vulnerable position of people living in far-flung communities, where some have sought to establish agreements with the armed groups that threaten them. Generally, community members gather funds and provisions to give to the militants to prevent attacks.

Kabir Adamu, who analyzes security matters for Beacon Security and Intelligence based in Abuja, argued that Nigeria’s security apparatus has fallen short in controlling armed groups operating throughout the area.

“In simple terms, [the attacks] say more is required,” he told Al Jazeera.

“The operations have been effective in killing some of the bandit commanders. We also know some of their leaders have been arrested, and they are currently being prosecuted. But the law enforcement component that would dominate the environment and prevent this group from moving around and operating is missing,” he elaborated.

The country is additionally facing demands to strengthen security after accusations emerged last year from US President Donald Trump that it was not adequately safeguarding Christians. Nonetheless, government officials have pushed back against allegations of organized Christian persecution, and independent observers point out that the nation’s security difficulties impact both Christian and Muslim populations equally.

At the same time, the Tinubu government has expanded its security partnership with the United States.

US military forces carried out strikes on what they called “terrorist” sites in Nigeria during late December, and the US military revealed on Tuesday that it had positioned a limited number of personnel to assist with addressing the security situation.