Kaiama attacks: Why Kwara villagers were killed — Gov Abdulrazaq

Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State has described the killing of residents of Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday evening by bandits as genocide.

Speaking at the palace of the Emir of Kaiama, Alhaji Muazu Omar, on Wednesday night, Governor Abdulrazaq said the victims were killed for refusing to be indoctrinated by the bandits.

The governor also disclosed that President Bola Tinubu has approved the deployment of a battalion of soldiers, known as Operation Savannah Shield, to flush out bandits in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State and the National Park in Borgu, Niger State.

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Abdulrazaq, who was accompanied by security chiefs during the visit, assured residents that bandits operating within the two states would be flushed out within a month.

Also speaking, the Emir of Kaiama, who was moved to tears, said 75 villagers in Woro were massacred for refusing to be brainwashed and indoctrinated by the bandits, who were preaching un-Islamic teachings.

He said the villagers’ refusal led to sporadic shootings, while two vehicles belonging to the village head were allegedly used by the bandits to transport many of the abducted villagers.

Tribune Online gathered that an unconfirmed number of people were abducted, while many others were still missing as of press time.