By RESIDENTS of Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State have accused security agencies of responding several hours late to a deadly terrorist attack that left scores of people dead and large parts of the village in ruins.
The village head, Umar Salihu, alleged that armed terrorists stormed the community and operated unhindered for nearly 10 hours before military personnel eventually arrived, a delay he said directly contributed to the high number of casualties and widespread destruction.
According to Salihu, the attackers struck at about 5:00 p.m. and continued their assault into the early hours of the following day, burning homes and killing residents as repeated distress calls to security agencies went unanswered.
“I called at about 5 p.m., but they did not come until around 3 a.m. From 5 p.m. to 3 a.m., that is roughly 10 hours,” he said.
By the time soldiers finally reached Woro, Salihu said the attackers had already fled the area, leaving behind devastation. He stressed that no confrontation occurred between the troops and the terrorists.
“The military did not engage them. The bandits had already left before the soldiers arrived,” he stated.
He also expressed concern over the absence of aerial support, noting that no air interdiction or bombardment was carried out during the prolonged attack.
“There was no air operation. The aircraft did not engage them. No munition was dropped,” Salihu added.
Withdrawal of Troops Left Community Exposed
The community leader disclosed that Woro had previously hosted a military base, manned by about 15 soldiers, but the troops were withdrawn months earlier following an attack on the base.
Since then, he said, the area had been left without any security presence, creating an opening for terrorists to regroup and launch fresh assaults.
“After the soldiers were attacked about three to five months ago, they were evacuated. Since then, there has been no security presence here. That gave the terrorists the freedom to come at any time and do whatever they liked,” Salihu said.
Attack Linked to Extremist Ideology
Salihu identified the attackers as members of the Mamuda terrorist group, claiming the assault was triggered by the community’s refusal to accept the group’s ideology.
“Our people are not willing to take that ideology. I believe that is what angered them and led to the attack,” he said.
He dismissed claims that the killings were religiously motivated, stressing that the majority of the victims were Muslims.
“About 95 per cent of those killed are Muslims, while roughly five per cent are Christians. This was not a religious attack,” he clarified.
Security Leak Fears Raised
The village head also raised the alarm over a possible security breach, revealing that he had earlier received a threat letter which he promptly reported to authorities.
He said the letter was first sent to the Department of State Services (DSS) in Kaiama and later taken to the Emirate Council for documentation. However, he believes sensitive information may have been mishandled during the process.
“When the letter was delivered to me, I immediately sent it to the DSS that same night. The next day, I took it to the Emirate Council, where it was photocopied. Somewhere in that process, I think vital security contacts were compromised,” he said.
According to Salihu, the terrorists may have reacted angrily after security agencies began patrols following the reported threat.
Death Toll Rises, Village in Ruins
The scale of the tragedy remains severe. Salihu disclosed that at least 75 bodies had already been buried, while additional corpses were still being recovered from nearby woodland.
He added that nearly half of the community was destroyed, including his personal residence.
“As of yesterday, we buried 75 people. Even now, there are still bodies in the bush. They burnt almost half of the village, including my house,” he said.
Official Reactions
Reacting to the incident, the Defence Headquarters confirmed that troops had since been deployed to the area and were conducting patrols and surveillance operations. It described the attack as a cowardly assault on innocent civilians and expressed condolences to affected families.
Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) accused the Federal Government of ignoring early security warnings, describing the killings as further evidence of Nigeria’s worsening security situation.
However, Salihu confirmed that Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, visited the affected communities and ordered the immediate reinforcement of security to prevent further attacks.
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