NIGERIA’S President Bola Tinubu has ordered the deployment of a military battalion to Kwara State o following an overnight attack by Boko Haram terrorists that killed 162 people in the village of Worro, located in Kaiama Local Government Area.
The massacre represents the latest in a series of attacks by Islamic extremist groups operating in Nigeria, where terrorist violence has claimed thousands of lives over the past decade and displaced millions from their homes.
According to a statement from presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga, the newly deployed forces will establish a military command to lead Operation Savannah Shield, tasked with securing vulnerable communities and countering terrorist operations in the region.
The attack targeted villagers who had reportedly rejected attempts by the extremist group to impose its ideology on the community. President Tinubu characterised the killings as retaliation against community members who “refused to be conscripted into a weird belief that promoted violence over peace and dialogue,” despite being predominantly Muslim themselves.
The president condemned what he described as the terrorists’ deliberate targeting of “soft targets” — unarmed civilians unable to defend themselves against armed militants.
Tinubu has called for coordinated action between federal and state authorities to provide assistance to survivors and ensure accountability for those responsible for the attack. He also expressed condolences to the families of the victims and the government of Kwara State.
The deployment comes as Nigeria continues to grapple with multiple security challenges, including Boko Haram’s long-running insurgency in the northeast, banditry in the northwest, and separatist movements in the southeast. Critics have questioned whether military deployments alone can address the underlying factors that allow extremist groups to operate in rural communities with limited government presence.
