At least five members of the National Forest Guard were killed on Friday when bandits launched a deadly attack on Nuku community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Nuku is a neighbouring community to Woro where about 150 people, mostly residents, were killed recently.
In the latest attack which occurred at about 3:00 a.m, the gunmen reportedly stormed a security formation in the agrarian community shooting sporadically and setting security equipment ablaze.
Residents said motorcycles belonging to the forest guards were burnt, while patrol vehicles were also set on fire during the assault.
A local commander of the guards was allegedly among the victims.
The incident came a few days following the circulation of disturbing videos showing kidnapped victims still in captivity from the Woro incident.
Residents also blamed the state of the road as a major issue in the response by the security operatives.
A lawmaker from Kwara North, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the poor state of the road linking the area to Niger State is hampering security response.
“That road, which is a federal road connecting Niger State, is in a terrible condition and seriously limits the response time of our security operatives. The bandits are aware of this and are taking advantage of it.
“That is why they now plant mines while retreating. There is an urgent need for action on that road. If the government cannot award the contract for its repair immediately, they should direct FERMA to intervene,” he said.
Speaking, during a telephone chat, the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, confirmed the incident.
According to him, “They attacked a Police Mobile Force (PMF) camp where we have our men and some forest guards. There was a serious gun fire but the mobile police successfully repelled them. Sadly, they killed five of the forest guards.
“There was no kidnapping which made it a suspected ISWAP attack operating around the Kwara/Borgu axis. But our men chased them and found some blood stains along the road. I am sure most of them were injured”, he noted.
In a later statement by the police spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the attack was described as a “coordinated operation which inflicted extensive damage on police operational assets and patrol a vehicle” before they were repelled.
The police urged members of the public to support ongoing investigations by providing useful information that could aid efforts to bring the perpetrators to justice.
“The Commissioner of Police expressed deep sympathy to the families of the deceased and condemned the attack in the strongest terms,” the statement added.
