At least 162 people were killed in a deadly gunmen attack on a community in Kwara State, even as authorities announced fresh military deployments to counter the violence.
Gunmen killed no fewer than 162 people in Nigeria’s Kwara State in one of the deadliest attacks recorded in the country in recent months, according to a Red Cross official on Wednesday. The attack, which occurred late Tuesday in a village in the west-central state, came shortly after the military carried out operations in the area against what it described as “terrorist elements,” raising concerns about retaliatory violence and the worsening security situation.
Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, however, confirmed a lower casualty figure, stating that 75 persons were killed in the attack. The governor disclosed this on Wednesday night while addressing residents at the palace of the Emir of Kaiama, where he described the victims as “local Muslims massacred for refusing to surrender to extremists preaching a strange doctrine.”
AbdulRazaq also revealed that President Bola Tinubu had approved the immediate deployment of an army battalion under Operation Savannah Shield to launch counter-offensives against the attackers. He assured residents that security forces would intensify operations in the affected areas to restore peace and prevent further loss of lives.