President Bola Tinubu has directed the immediate deployment of a military battalion to Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State following a deadly terrorist attack that left at least 75 people dead.
The deployment, tagged Operation Savannah Shield, is aimed at restoring security and preventing further attacks amid rising extremist violence in the area.
The attack occurred late on Tuesday in the Woro and Nuku communities of Kaiama, where armed assailants reportedly stormed villages and killed residents.
Announcing the intervention on Wednesday night, the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, said the Federal Government had approved the operation and appointed a field commander.
“Help is on the way for the beleaguered people of Kaiama and neighbouring communities as President Tinubu orders the deployment of a military battalion, the appointment of a commander, and the commencement of Operation Savannah Shield,” Onanuga said in a post on X.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who visited the affected communities on Wednesday night alongside security chiefs, said the victims were targeted for refusing to submit to extremist ideology.
Speaking at the palace of the Emir of Kaiama, the governor described the killings as a “pure massacre” and condemned the attackers, saying the violence reflected the frustration of terrorist cells facing sustained security pressure.
“We commiserate with you over the death of 75 of your subjects. May Allah grant them Aljanna Firdaus,” AbdulRazaq said.
“From the information available, these communities refused to accept a perverted form of Islamic doctrine. They chose to remain faithful to their beliefs, and because of that refusal, they were attacked and killed.
“This is different from the kidnappings and raids we have seen before. This was an outright massacre, and it is totally condemnable.”
The attack is one of the deadliest recorded in Kwara State in recent years and follows a series of banditry and kidnapping incidents in late 2025. The growing violence has heightened concerns about the spread of insecurity from Nigeria’s northwest into north-central states.
