Nigeria’s former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has described the killing of more than 100 people in Woro community, Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, as a “national disaster”, calling for urgent federal intervention.
In a statement on Wednesday, Senator Saraki said the scale of violence in parts of Kwara State had exceeded the capacity of the state authorities and now required “decisive and direct intervention” from President Bola Tinubu.
He urged the president, as Commander-in-Chief, to direct the General Officer Commanding of the Second Mechanised Infantry Division in Ibadan to deploy troops to the affected areas and establish a military base there.
Senator Saraki also called for stronger coordination among security agencies to ensure a sustained presence across the state, warning that armed groups displaced by military operations elsewhere in Nigeria’s North Central region could seek refuge in Kwara.
He described Kwara as strategically important, noting its position between northern and south-western Nigeria and its international border with neighbouring Benin Republic.
Expressing condolences to the victims’ families, Senator Saraki said the attack had resulted in unprecedented levels of killing, destruction, and displacement in a state long regarded as peaceful and known as the “State of Harmony”.
He added that the response should go beyond statements, urging both federal and state authorities, as well as local government councils, to take concrete steps to prevent further violence.
Saraki characterised the attack as a national emergency and warned that failure to act decisively could allow insecurity to gain ground in the state.
