The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed that at least 75 people were killed in the recent attack on communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of the state.
The Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, disclosed the figure on Friday during an interview with journalists, describing the incident as a “dastardly act.”
“The current casualty figure from the attack that occurred on February 3 at about 5:30 p.m. stands at 75,” she said. “Investigations are still ongoing, and the command will continue to update the public as more details emerge.”
According to the police spokesperson, the command was promptly notified after the incident, prompting the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, to order the immediate deployment of personnel to the affected communities.
She noted that the remoteness of the location posed initial operational challenges, explaining that the attacked area is located about two hours from the divisional headquarters in Kaiama.
“When the incident occurred, the Kwara State Police Command was informed, and the Commissioner of Police immediately deployed officers to the area,” she said. “Police personnel, working alongside the military and the National Forest Guard, moved into the communities almost immediately after the attack.”
Addressing reports that the assailants may have stayed in the community for some time before launching the attack, Ejire-Adeyemi said investigations were ongoing to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.
“We are still investigating claims that the perpetrators may have been in the town prior to carrying out the attack,” she said, adding that efforts were underway to ensure such violence does not recur.
She also revealed that recent clearance operations conducted across Kwara State and neighbouring Kogi State had disrupted the activities of armed groups, leading to a period of relative calm in parts of the state before the attack.
“In the past month, clearance operations in Kwara and Kogi states have disorganised bandit groups,” she said. “We had been experiencing relative peace in Kwara South until this unfortunate incident occurred in Kwara North.”
Ejire-Adeyemi further disclosed that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, has ordered the reinforcement of security in the affected areas.
“The Inspector-General of Police has directed that security be significantly strengthened in the area. At the moment, the situation is relatively calm, and efforts are ongoing to track down and arrest the perpetrators. We remain committed to ensuring that such an incident does not happen again,” she said.
