Residents of Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State have accused security agencies of arriving too late to stop a devastating terrorist attack that lasted approximately 10 hours, resulting in heavy loss of life and widespread destruction.
The village head, Alhaji Umar Salihu, in a detailed account of the incident, said armed men believed to be members of the Mamuda terrorist group invaded the community around 5:00 p.m. and operated freely until about 3:00 a.m. the following day before soldiers finally arrived.
According to Salihu, repeated distress calls were made to security agencies throughout the assault, but no meaningful response came until the attackers had already withdrawn.
“I called about 5 p.m., but they did not come until about 3 a.m. That was from 5 p.m. to about 3 a.m.—that is about 10 hours,” he stated.
By the time troops reached the village, the terrorists had escaped without any confrontation.
“The military did not attack them. The bandits had gone when the military came,” Salihu added.
He further revealed that there was no air support or interdiction during the attack.
“The plane did not engage them. They did not interdict. They did not drop any munition on them.”
The community leader attributed the vulnerability of Woro to the earlier withdrawal of a military detachment that had been stationed in the area.
“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,” Salihu explained.
“That gave them the opportunity to come anytime, enter anytime and do whatever they like.”
He identified the motive behind the assault as the community’s refusal to accept the extremist ideology being pushed by the attackers.
“Exactly. Our people are not ready to take that ideology. I think that is what made them angry to come and attack the communities.”
Salihu dismissed suggestions that the killings were religiously motivated, pointing out that the majority of 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 serious concerns about a possible breach of security intelligence. He disclosed that he had previously received a threat letter from the group, which he promptly reported to the Department of State Services (DSS) in Kaiama and the Emirate Council.
“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 circulation of the threat may have angered the terrorists and contributed to the scale of the attack.
“When the security agents went on patrol after the letter, the terrorists became angry.”
Salihu reported that at least 75 bodies had been recovered and buried as of the previous day, with more corpses still being discovered in surrounding bushes. He said nearly half of the village, including his own house, was set ablaze during the assault.
“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.”
In response to the incident, the Defence Headquarters confirmed that troops had been deployed to the affected area and were conducting patrols and surveillance operations. The military described the attack as a “cowardly” assault on innocent civilians and expressed deep sadness over the loss of lives.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the Federal Government of ignoring early security warnings, describing the killings as a reflection of the worsening insecurity across the country.
Meanwhile, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq visited the affected communities, commiserated with the victims, and ordered the immediate reinforcement of security presence in the area to prevent further attacks.
The Woro attack has renewed calls for improved intelligence sharing, faster response times, and sustained military deployment in vulnerable border and rural communities in Kwara State and other parts of Nigeria facing similar threats.
