Tinubu orders army to move into Kaiama, condemns terrorist attack

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

In a decisive strike against the rampaging terror gripping Nigeria’s heartland, President Bola Tinubu has ordered the deployment of a military battalion to parts of Kwara State following a deadly attack on Kaiama Local Government Area that left scores of residents dead.

Some of the drastic action include the appointment of a field commander and the immediate commencement of a military operation tagged Operation Savanna Shield.

This disclosure was made on Wednesday by the President’s Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.

Onanuga, in a post on his verified X handle, @aonanuga1956, said the President’s intervention was aimed at providing immediate relief to affected communities and restoring security in the area.

The post read: “Help is on the way for the beleaguered people of Kaiama and others as President Tinubu orders the deployment of a military battalion, the appointment of a commander and the start of Operation Savanna Shield.”

The order comes amid a fresh horror: the massacre of 75 local Muslims who dared to reject the poisonous doctrine of extremists invading their land.

In another post on X Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (@RealAARahman) had visited Kaiama tonight flanked by service chiefs and cabinet heavyweights.

“75 local Muslims were massacred simply for refusing to surrender to extremists who preached a strange doctrine,” the governor declared, painting a picture of unimaginable brutality in the once-peaceful Patigi local government area hub, 100 kilometers southwest of Kwara’s capital, Ilorin.

The federal action followed a brutal attack on Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area, where residents reportedly recovered the bodies of 78 persons killed by armed bandits who invaded the rural settlement on Tuesday.

The victims were buried on Wednesday evening after funeral prayers (janazah) were held around 6:30 p.m., shortly before the evening (magrib) prayers.

The lawmaker representing Gwanabe/Gwaria constituency in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Saidu Baba Ahmed, who witnessed the burial rites, confirmed the casualty figures.

He said the deceased included 75 males and three females, adding that 35 residents were abducted and taken into the bush by the attackers.

The launch of Operation Savanna Shield is expected to strengthen federal security presence in the area, stabilise affected communities and prevent further attacks, as residents continue to mourn the victims of the raid.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued late last night, President Tinubu “condemned the cowardly and beastly attack and described the gunmen as heartless for choosing soft targets in their doomed campaign of terror.”

According to the statement issued by Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, “President Tinubu expressed rage that the attackers killed the community members who rejected their obnoxious attempt at

indoctrination, choosing instead to practice Islam that is neither extreme nor violent.

“It’s commendable that the community members, even though Muslims, refused to be conscripted into a weird belief that promoted violence over peace and dialogue,” he said.

The President urged collaboration between federal and state agencies to provide succour to members of the community and ensure those who committed the atrocities do not go scot-free.

President Tinubu prayed for the repose of the soul of the deceased and condoled with those who lost family members. He also condoled with the people and the government of Kwara State.

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