President Bola Tinubu has ordered the immediate deployment of a full military battalion to parts of Kwara State following a wave of deadly attacks in Kaiama Local Government Area that claimed scores of lives, marking one of the bloodiest episodes in the state’s history.
The decisive intervention includes the appointment of a field commander and the launch of a major security operation codenamed Operation Savanna Shield, aimed at crushing armed groups terrorising rural communities and restoring calm across the affected areas.
The directive was disclosed on Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, who said the action was taken to provide urgent relief to distressed communities and halt the spread of violence.
In a post on his verified X handle, Onanuga said help had arrived for the people of Kaiama and neighbouring settlements, confirming the deployment of troops, the designation of a commander, and the commencement of sustained military operations under Operation Savanna Shield.
The federal move followed fresh revelations of mass killings in the area. Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who visited Kaiama alongside security chiefs and senior government officials, disclosed that at least 75 local Muslims were massacred for rejecting the extremist ideology pushed by armed invaders.
According to the governor, the victims were killed simply for refusing to abandon their moderate religious beliefs in favour of violent indoctrination, describing the attack as a chilling display of brutality in a region once considered peaceful. Kaiama lies about 100 kilometres from Ilorin, the Kwara State capital.
The latest outrage followed an earlier assault on Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area, where residents reportedly recovered the bodies of 78 people killed when gunmen stormed the settlement on Tuesday. The victims were laid to rest on Wednesday evening after funeral prayers held shortly before sunset.
A member of the Kwara State House of Assembly representing Gwanabe and Gwaria constituency, Saidu Baba Ahmed, who witnessed the burial, confirmed the figures. He said the dead included 75 males and three females, adding that 35 other residents were abducted and taken into the bush by the attackers.
As Operation Savanna Shield gets underway, security analysts say the reinforced federal presence could help stabilize the volatile axis, secure vulnerable communities, and prevent further mass killings as residents continue to mourn their dead.
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In a strongly worded statement issued late Tuesday night, President Tinubu condemned the attacks, describing them as cowardly and beastly, and accused the perpetrators of deliberately targeting defenceless communities in a doomed campaign of terror.
The President expressed anger that the attackers killed residents who rejected extremist indoctrination and chose to practice a form of Islam rooted in peace rather than violence. He praised the courage of the victims for refusing to be drawn into a belief system that glorifies bloodshed.
Tinubu called for close collaboration between federal and state authorities to provide immediate support for affected families and ensure those responsible for the atrocities are brought to justice. He also prayed for the repose of the souls of the victims and extended condolences to bereaved families, as well as to the government and people of Kwara State.
