The Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has met President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, in a high-level engagement sparked by a deadly terrorist attack that has shaken communities in the state’s Kaiama Local Government Area.
The governor arrived at the villa at about 5:00 pm, marking the second significant federal-state security meeting in the wake of the assault, which suspected jihadist fighters reportedly carried out earlier this week.
The meeting followed a brutal overnight attack on Tuesday in the Worro and Nuku villages, where gunmen believed to be linked to a faction of the Boko Haram insurgency stormed rural communities, setting ablaze homes, markets and even the traditional ruler’s palace.
According to local residents and official accounts, the rampage claimed at least 75 lives, including women and children, leaving several others injured and scores missing. The Emir of Worro, Saliu Umar, was reported missing after the assault, as were members of his family.
Eyewitnesses say the militants’ onslaught was triggered after community members resisted attempts to coerce them into adopting extremist doctrines, choosing instead to maintain a peaceful practice of Islam.
In response to the escalating violence, President Tinubu, through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, ordered the immediate deployment of an army battalion to Kaiama, tasking them with leading a fresh military initiative codenamed “Operation Savannah Shield.”
In his directive, the president condemned the assault in the strongest terms, describing it as a “cowardly and beastly attack” targeting defenceless civilians.
Tinubu, according to the presidential statement, highlighted that the militants deliberately targeted residents who rejected attempts at violent indoctrination, praising the victims for their commitment to peace.
“It is commendable that the community members, even though Muslims, refused to be conscripted into a belief system that promotes violence over dialogue,” the statement added.
The president also called for enhanced cooperation between federal and state agencies to support survivors, deliver humanitarian relief and ensure the perpetrators are held accountable.
Governor AbdulRazaq, who earlier visited the scene of the attacks alongside security chiefs and his cabinet, described the violence as a “cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells” in the face of ongoing counter-terror efforts across the state.
At his Wednesday night visit to Kaiama, the governor condemned the carnage and expressed solidarity with families affected by the tragedy.
He also thanked the federal government for its swift action in deploying forces and setting up a new command to spearhead the security operation under Operation Savannah Shield.
The attack in Kwara, which lies outside Nigeria’s traditional northeast insurgency theatre, underscores the expanding reach of terrorist groups into the North-Central region, raising concerns among security analysts and community leaders.
Federal, state and security officials are now under mounting pressure to stem the violence and protect vulnerable communities, while residents reel from the human and economic toll of the assault.
As the nation watches closely, the Tinubu-AbdulRazaq meeting at Aso Rock marks a critical moment in efforts to forge a unified response to terrorism and restore peace in parts of Nigeria that have long escaped the brutality of extremist violence.
