Kwara Community Buries 75 After Deadly Terrorist Attack Claims Over 160 Lives.
The Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State is in mourning after a devastating attack by terrorists on Tuesday evening. Local officials now say more than 160 people were killed in what stands as the most severe armed assault the state has seen in recent memory.
By Wednesday afternoon, the grim task of counting the dead was still underway. Babaomo Ayodeji, the secretary of the Kwara State Red Cross, confirmed that the verified death toll had reached 162. A local politician speaking to Reuters suggested the final number could climb to 170.
Survivors and officials described a scene of calculated brutality. Sa’idu Ahmed, a politician from the area, said the attackers rounded up villagers, tied their hands behind their backs, and executed them. Homes and shops were not spared, with many set ablaze during the assault.
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“I am in the village along with military personnel, sorting dead bodies and searching nearby areas,” Ahmed told Reuters on Wednesday, painting a picture of a community still reeling and searching for answers.
The violence has left deep scars beyond the staggering death toll. Many villagers fled with gunshot wounds into the surrounding bushland. Several residents, including the village’s traditional leader, are still missing.
Those who escaped say the attackers were jihadists who had previously confronted the community. According to residents, the assailants had demanded that locals renounce their loyalty to the Nigerian government and adopt Sharia law. The shooting reportedly began during a sermon when villagers resisted their ultimatum.
On Wednesday, under a cloud of grief, the community began to lay its dead to rest. A mass burial was held for at least 75 of the victims. A state government official, who asked not to be named, told press that “75 victims were buried en masse this afternoon,” even as reports circulated of a much higher total casualty figure.
The burial was attended by Abubakar Danladi, the Chairman of Kaiama Local Government Area, who led an official delegation to offer support.
For families like that of Umar Tanko, the village head of Woro, the loss is personal and profound. Tanko, who survived because he was away at his shop, lost three children. “My daughter and two sons were shot dead,” he said, “while my second wife and two others were abducted.”
Other survivors, like Razaq Abdulazeez, spoke of narrow escapes. Abdulazeez said he was returning from work when he saw people fleeing. After learning of the attack, he rushed home, gathered his family, and escaped into the deep bush. “Many people who could not run out of town climbed trees to avoid the bandits’ attack,” he recounted.
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Among those confirmed killed was Salihu Bio Khalid, a student at the Kwara State College of Nursing Sciences and a past president of the Student Union Government. He was reportedly murdered alongside his brother.
As the burials conclude, the Woro community and Kwara State are left to grapple with the scale of the tragedy, the search for the missing, and the urgent questions about security that such a bold and bloody attack has raised.
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