At least 40 people were feared dead on Tuesday evening after armed bandits attacked Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Council of Kwara State, setting several houses ablaze and forcing residents to flee in panic.

Security forces, including soldiers and forest guards, were later deployed to the affected areas.
A credible source in the local council, who asked not to be named, told journalists yesterday that casualties had risen beyond 40.

“The casualties are over 40 as we speak and soldiers and forest guards have taken over the two communities. It’s such a very sad development at a time we think we are having peace from the bandits attacks of the past,” she said.
Sources said the attackers, believed to have emerged from the Borgu National Park forest in neighbouring Niger State, struck Kaiama at about 6:00 p.m., firing sporadically and sending residents into panic.

In a viral voice note circulated in Ilorin, a man confirmed the attack on Woro community and urged security agencies to act swiftly.
He said: “Information reaching us is that Woro community under Kaiama local council of Kwara State is under attack by the bandits right now. This is a clarion call on security agencies to please act with immediate effect.”

A former member of the Kwara State House of Assembly from Woro community, Aliyu Mande, also confirmed the invasion in a telephone conversation.
“It’s true that the bandits attacked our community (Woro) this evening around 5:00 p.m. As I speak with you, the bandits are still operating in the community. They told me that the bandits, who probably came from the National Park in Borgu local council of Niger State, killed up to 10 people and also burnt houses.

“I have spoken with the chairman of Kaiama Local Council, who promised to rise to the occasion by informing the appropriate authorities,” he added. The senior special assistant on security to Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, Muhideen Aliyu, confirmed the attack on Woro community but said casualty figures were still sketchy, adding that urgent steps were being taken to dislodge the bandits.
Meanwhile, the governor expressed shock over what he described as a cowardly attack on civilians in Woro and Nuku communities.

In a statement signed by his chief press secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, AbdulRazaq condemned the assault, saying it “is a cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells following the ongoing counterterrorism campaigns in parts of the state and the successes so far recorded.”
He said the attack appeared aimed at distracting security forces who had successfully hunted down several terrorists and kidnapping gangs across parts of the state, and offered condolences to the affected communities and bereaved families.