What happened in Kaiama was brutal enough to leave the entire country reeling.
After gunmen stormed parts of Kwara State and turned quiet communities into killing fields, President Bola Tinubu stepped in with an order that signaled urgency and zero tolerance.
A full military battalion is being sent into the affected areas, with fresh command leadership and a new security operation already underway.
The decision followed the massacre of dozens of residents in Kaiama Local Government Area, an attack that wiped out families and shattered a region that had largely stayed away from Nigeria’s worst security flashpoints.
Operation Savanna Shield Takes Shape
The federal response goes beyond words.
According to the President’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, a coordinated military effort known as Operation Savanna Shield has been launched.
A field commander has been appointed, and troops are being mobilised to reclaim the area and reassure frightened residents.
Onanuga shared the update via his verified X account, describing the move as immediate help for communities under siege and a step toward restoring order where fear had taken over daily life.
A Community Punished for Saying No
The horror that triggered the intervention unfolded in Woro community, Kaiama LGA.
Armed attackers descended on the rural settlement and unleashed violence on residents who, according to state authorities, refused to accept extremist beliefs being forced on them.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who visited Kaiama alongside security chiefs and senior officials, said 75 local Muslims were killed simply for rejecting a strange and violent doctrine pushed by the attackers.
The victims, he said, chose a peaceful expression of Islam over extremism — and paid with their lives.
Bodies Recovered, Burials Held in Silence
By Wednesday, the scale of the tragedy became clearer.
Residents recovered 78 bodies from the community, and funeral prayers were held in the evening before the magrib prayers.
The victims were laid to rest quietly, even as grief spread across families and villages.
Saidu Baba Ahmed, the lawmaker representing Gwanabe/Gwaria constituency in the Kwara State House of Assembly, confirmed the figures after witnessing the burial rites.
He said the dead included 75 men and three women, while 35 other residents were abducted and taken into the surrounding bush.
Presidency Condemns “Beastly” Violence
Late Tuesday night, President Tinubu released a strongly worded statement condemning the attack.
He described the gunmen as heartless and cowardly, accusing them of deliberately targeting defenseless civilians in their campaign of terror.
The President expressed anger that community members were killed for refusing indoctrination and instead choosing a form of Islam rooted in peace and dialogue.
He praised their courage, even in the face of deadly threats, and said such values must be protected, not punished.
Call for Unity and Justice
Beyond military action, the President urged close collaboration between federal and state authorities to support survivors and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.
He stressed that the attackers must not escape accountability, no matter how long it takes.
He also offered prayers for the souls of the deceased and extended condolences to grieving families, as well as to the people and government of Kwara State.
What’s Next?
With Operation Savanna Shield now active, attention turns to how quickly security forces can stabilise Kaiama and neighbouring communities.
Residents are hoping the military presence will not only chase out the attackers but also prevent a repeat of the violence.
For now, Kwara mourns — and waits — as the federal government moves from condemnation to action, under pressure to prove that this tragedy will not fade into just another statistic.
