The grieving people of Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State have recovered the bodies of 78 of the victims of the attack launched on the rural community by armed bandits on Tuesday.

Funeral prayers (janazah) were performed on the corpses about 6.30pm on Wednesday evening shortly before the evening (magrib) prayer.

Residents are also combing nearby bushes and forests for more dead bodies and kidnapped residents that might have escaped from the attackers.

The member representing Gwanabe/Gwaria constituency of Kaiama Local Government Area in the State House of Assembly, Hon. Saidu Baba Ahmed, who witnessed the funeral prayer, confirmed the development to Saturday Sun on phone.

He said the 78 corpses comprised 75 males and three females. He also disclosed that 35 residents were abducted and whisked away into the bush by the armed bandits.

He added: “We have recovered 78 corpses – 75 males, three females. We performed janazah (funeral prayer) on the corpses around 6.30pm. We have commenced burying the corpses in batches. Some were put together in batches of 10, 15 and 20 and given mass burial.

“The information at my disposal indicated that the casualties are about 170. So, our people are still in the bush searching for more bodies. No fewer than 35 women were abducted. Survivors are also taking refuge in the bush.”

Explaining the genesis of the attack, Salihu Umar, the village head of Woro, the community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State where Boko Haram terrorists killed scores of residents on Tuesday, confirmed that the terrorists sent a letter to the community about a month earlier on January 7. That was the second time, he noted.

He recalled that the terrorists had stormed the area in November last year, but noted that they were repelled by soldiers.

He said when the new letter came, he made the letter available to the security agencies, including the Department of State Service (DSS) in Kaima Local Government area, and the military, among other security agencies in the area.

“We rejected their preaching because the preaching is not in conformity with our Muslim doctrine. The next we saw is the attack,” he stated.

According to information gathered, the terrorists, under the command of one Mallam Sadiku, invaded the village on Tuesday evening and unleashed terror for several hours.

Sadiku is a Boko Haram commander sent by the group’s late leader, Shekau, to open new fronts outside the North-East.

Apart from burning shops and houses, including the village head’s palace, the terrorists also abducted women and children.

Village head’s sons killed, three daughters, wife abducted

The village head, Umar, said two of his sons – Khalid and Zakariya – were killed during the attack, while his second wife and three daughters were abducted and taken away.

He added that the attackers stole his Toyota Highlander, burnt his pickup van and motorcycles, and killed one of his brothers, Mohammed Yusuf, before making away with the deceased’s Toyota Camry.

“I would have been a victim too,” he said. “When they came, I was not at home. I was elsewhere in the community when people started shouting that the terrorists had arrived. That was how I managed to escape.”

He also said he returned to the village in the early hours of Thursday as part of the governor’s entourage.

Sources told Saturday Sun that the village head indeed suffered substantial havoc in the hands of the terrorists. Apart from his two sons being killed by the bandits, his palace was destroyed. Many residential buildings and shops were also razed by the rampaging bandits.

A source said: “The casualties yet to be accounted for are in their numbers as we speak, and soldiers and forest guards have taken over the two communities.”

A community leader in Kaiama and former member of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Aliyu Mande, also said many more dead bodies were yet unaccounted for. He said the casualty figure was way much.

“My brother, the casualty figure is more than what some are saying. One of the children of the village head that were killed just graduated from the School of Nursing in 2025.

“The bandits also burnt the village head’s palace, shops and residential buildings. We are indeed devastated. The loss of lives and property is huge and unimaginable,” Mande said.

Rafiu Ajakaiye, spokesperson for Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, corroborated the account, citing estimates he attributed to the Emir of Kaiama during a visit to the palace by government officials led by the governor.

While the Red Cross said 162 deaths had been confirmed as of Wednesday evening, other accounts estimated that more people were killed.

Although the Kwara State Police Command confirmed the attack, it did not disclose any casualty toll.

The police said the attack by the bandits on Woro Community in Kaiama LGA started about 5.30pm.

The day after the bloodbath, the state governor, AbdulRahaman AbdulRasaq , accompanied by the Commissioner of Police, Kwara State, CP Adekimi Ojo; the Director of the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Micheal Oganwu; the Brigade Commander, 22 Armoured Brigade, Brig. Gen N.N Rume, and other senior security and top government officials, visited the community for an on-the-spot assessment, and to commiserate with the Emir of Kaiama, Alh Muazu Shehu Omar and families affected by the tragic incident.

Preliminary findings gathered at the scene indicated that the attackers, believed to be religious extremists, stormed the community, opening fire sporadically and killing victims while houses and shops were set ablaze.

It was gathered that a joint security team comprising the police, military, and National Forest Guards have since been deployed and are currently on ground to maintain law and order, prevent further attacks, and reassure residents of their safety.

The police said a full-scale investigation has been launched to track down the perpetrators and ensure they face the full weight of the law.

“The Commissioner of Police, Kwara State Command, CP Adekimi Ojo, extends his deepest condolences to the families of the victims and the entire Woro Community during this moment of grief while praying for the repose of their souls. We urge residents to remain calm, cooperate with security agencies, and promptly provide credible information that may aid ongoing operations,” the police noted in a statement.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, it was gathered, has also directed the state emergency management agency to mobilise support for victims of the attacks.

The Governor made the directive around 2 a.m. on Thursday following his visit to the community where he commiserated with the victims, the Emir of Kaiama Alhaji Muazu Sheu Omar, and people of Kaiama Emirate over the attack.

Ahead of the visit to Woro, the governor first arrived Kaiama on Wednesday night in company with the House of Assembly Speaker, Salihu Yakubu-Danladi, security commanders, and senior government officials. The Head of Woro, Alhaji Saliu Bio Umar, and his chiefs also joined the Emir to receive the governor.

The governor noted that at least 75 people of the Muslim majority village lost their lives and property to the unfortunate incident. While praying for the repose of the deceased, announced that President Bola Tinubu had ordered the immediate deployment of soldiers to the area under Operation Savannah Shield.

“Your Emirate is versatile and from the information we have been getting, these victims were massacred, because they refused to succumb to a strange Islamic doctrine.

“This is different from what we used to see, where subjects were being kidnapped for ransom. This was a pure massacre. We commiserate with you.”

“At the moment, the state emergency services will be going to carry out the enumeration and look for how to take care of families of the deceased victims.

“We thank the security agencies for doing a yeoman’s job, swinging from one part of the state to the other. As such, the issues in Kwara South have been subdued largely.

“This is a major challenge to tackle now, because it goes beyond Kwara and goes (also) to the Kainji Park in Niger State. They have murdered sleep and I can assure you that within the next one month, the whole place will be flooded with soldiers. And the results will be positive, God willing.”

Alhaji Muazu told the governor that the attackers were followers of Mahmuda who preach a strange ideology and attack those who reject their doctrine. He appreciated the governor for his swift action and support. (The Sun)