• Village head’s wife, remaining children, 35 residents abducted
• Search ongoing for victims feared killed in nearby bushes
• Govt, security agencies commiserate with families, vow action on attackers
Residents of Woro community in Kaiama Local Council of Kwara State on Wednesday carried out burial rites for 78 people killed during a deadly bandit attack on Tuesday evening.
Findings indicated that the assailants, suspected to be religious extremists, opened fire sporadically on residents, setting houses and shops ablaze in the process.
The Guardian learnt that two children of the village head were among those murdered after the attackers stormed the community around 5:00 p.m. and operated until late into the night. One of the victims was said to have graduated from a School of Nursing in 2025.
A source told The Guardian that after killing the two children, the bandits demanded the village head’s wife and remaining children and marched them into the bush. Before leaving the palace, the attackers also demanded the keys to the traditional ruler’s vehicles, destroyed some of them and used the only remaining one to abduct the woman and her children.
Janazah (funeral prayers) were performed on the victims at about 6:30 p.m., shortly before Maghrib prayers.
A joint security team comprising the police, military and National Forest Guards has since been deployed to the area to maintain law and order, prevent further attacks and reassure residents. A full-scale investigation has also been launched to track down the perpetrators.
Confirming the development, the lawmaker representing Gwanabe/Gwaria constituency of Kaiama Local Council, Saidu Baba Ahmed, who witnessed the funeral prayers, said 78 corpses — 75 males and three females — were buried on Wednesday.
According to him, the victims were given mass burial in batches of 10, 15 and 20.
He further disclosed that 35 residents were abducted and taken into the bush by the armed bandits.
Another source told The Guardian by phone that the attackers, before leaving Woro, went through the town burning shops and houses, leaving the community a shadow of its former self.
Meanwhile, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRasaq, accompanied by the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Michael Oganwu, and the Brigade Commander of the 22 Armoured Brigade, Brig Gen Nicholas Rume, alongside other senior security and government officials, visited the community for an on-the-spot assessment and to commiserate with the Emir of Kaiama, Muazu Shehu Omar, and affected families.
Reacting to the incident yesterday, Mr Ojo, in a statement by the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, condoled with the families of the victims and the Woro community, while praying for the repose of their souls.
He urged residents to remain calm, cooperate with security agencies and provide credible information to aid ongoing operations, adding that further developments would be communicated as investigations progress.
The command also appealed to the public to reach out in emergencies or share useful information via 07032069501 or 08125275046.
