EXCLUSIVE: ‘We Saw Terrorists In Bushes Months Before 170 Killed But Kwara Govt Ignored Our Warnings,’ Say Kaiama Massacre Survivors

According to two residents who spoke separately to SaharaReporters, youths in Kaiama had raised the alarm on several occasions after noticing unfamiliar armed men camping in bushes surrounding their communities.

Residents of Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State have accused Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq’s administration of ignoring repeated distress calls and security warnings months before Boko Haram-linked terrorists stormed the area and massacred no fewer than 170 people.

Multiple residents who spoke to SaharaReporters on Thursday said community members had consistently alerted traditional authorities, local government officials and the state government about the suspicious movement of armed strangers and their presence in nearby forests, but no meaningful action was taken.

According to two residents who spoke separately to SaharaReporters, youths in Kaiama had raised the alarm on several occasions after noticing unfamiliar armed men camping in bushes surrounding their communities.

“Before these attacks happened, our youths went to the traditional ruler many times to report that strange people were gathering inside the forest close to our villages,” one resident said.

“They did not only stop there. They also informed the local government council and the state government. Everybody knew, but nobody came to protect us.”

Another resident confirmed that the warnings were escalated to state and local authorities but were allegedly ignored.

“We reported to the state government and to the local government authorities that terrorists were around us. We begged them to deploy security operatives to clear the forests,” the resident said.

“They kept assuring us that something would be done, but nothing happened.”

The residents further disclosed that sometime around July or August 2025, the communities became more alarmed when they noticed an increase in suspicious movement within the forests.

“There was a time the governor even promised that soldiers would be deployed to our area because of what we reported,” one of the sources said.

“He told some of our leaders that the Army would be sent to secure the community, but till today, no soldier came. We were abandoned.”

According to the residents, the attackers later struck several villages in a coordinated operation, killing men, women and children, while setting houses ablaze and forcing survivors to flee.

“What happened did not just start overnight,” a resident said.

“These people were around us for months. We warned the authorities. If they had listened, this massacre would not have happened.”

Survivors said the attack lasted several hours, with no immediate intervention from security forces, leaving residents to fend for themselves.

“They came in large numbers with guns. They were shouting and shooting. People were running in all directions,” a resident recounted.

“Our houses were burned. Many families were wiped out. We are still counting the dead.”

On Wednesday evening, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq disclosed that no fewer than 75 local Muslims were brutally massacred in the community by the terrorists,

He said the citizens were killed after they refused to surrender to terrorists who were preaching what he described as a strange and misguided doctrine.

The governor made this known after arriving in Kaiama alongside top service chiefs and members of his cabinet, following a deadly attack that has plunged the community into mourning and fear.

According to AbdulRazaq, the victims were killed in cold blood by the terrorists after standing their ground against the extremists’ attempt to impose their ideology on the peaceful community.

“Tonight, I arrived in Kaiama in company of service chiefs and cabinet members to commiserate with His Royal Highness Alhaji Omar Mu'azu (Bagidi Kiyaru IV), the Emir of Kaiama, and the entire community on the cowardly attack launched on our compatriots in Woro and Nuku yesterday. I also visited Woro to see things for myself,” the governor said.

He added that he proceeded to Woro community to personally assess the situation and see the devastation left behind by the attackers.

However, community members insisted that the tragedy was preventable and blamed what they describe as government negligence and failure to act on credible intelligence.

“The government failed us,” one resident said.

He continued. “We did our part by reporting early. If they had deployed army when we raised alarm, these terrorists would not have stayed here to plan and kill our people.”

“It is so sad; the governor came here after people died and they even lied that it was only 75 people that died. Anybody that believes those who were killed were not up to 100 should come here and count the corpses themselves. The government was just doing ‘eye-service’ by crying to the media. They knew these people would attack us and they did nothing,” the resident said.