By Abiola Olawale
The head of the Woro community in Kwara State, Umar Bio Salihu, has revealed that the armed bandits that attacked his community operated for about 10 hours before the military personnel arrived.
Salihu, who spoke with Arise TV on Thursday, revealed that the armed bandits had already wreaked havoc, killing scores of people before the arrival of the security operatives.
He added that the attackers began their operation around 5pm on Tuesday, but soldiers only arrived at about 3am the following day.
“I called after 5pm, but they did not come until about 3am. That was from 5pm to about 3am. That is about 10 hours.
“The military did not attack them. The bandits had gone when the military came,” he stated.
Salihu also added that there was no air interdiction during the attack.
According to him, the community had been left exposed after soldiers previously stationed there were withdrawn following an earlier attack on the base.
He said, “Initially, we had a military base there. We had about 15 soldiers there. About three to five months ago, they attacked the soldiers. Since then, they evacuated them. We have no security presence in that area.
“That allowed them to come anytime, enter anytime, and do whatever they like.”
Salihu said the attackers belonged to the Mamuda terrorist group, adding that the assault followed the community’s rejection of the group’s ideology.
“Our people are not ready to take that ideology. I think that is what made them angry to come and attack the communities,” he said.
He dismissed claims that the killings were religiously motivated, noting that most of the victims were Muslims.
“The people they killed are mostly Muslims. About 95 per cent are Muslims and five per cent are Christians. They are not all Muslim, but the Muslims are the majority,” Salihu stated.
Speaking further, the village head also revealed that he had received a letter sent by the bandits about a month ago.
He added that he reported the threat letter allegedly sent by the attackers to security agencies.
“When they brought the letter, they brought it directly to me. That night, I sent the letter to the DSS in Kiama.
“The following day, I took the letter myself to the Emirate Council. They photocopied it. In that process, I think they lost the appropriate contact.
“When the security agents went on patrol after the letter, the terrorists became angry,” he said.
