BREAKING: 75 Muslims Massacred In Kaiama For Rejecting Extremist Doctrine — Gov AbdulRazaq

Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has disclosed that no fewer than 75 local Muslims were brutally killed in Kaiama Local Government Area after refusing to surrender to armed extremists who attempted to impose what he described as a “strange and violent doctrine” on the community.

The governor made this known on wednesday night after arriving in Kaiama alongside top security chiefs and key members of the state executive council, following reports of coordinated attacks on several villages in the area.

According to AbdulRazaq, the victims were targeted specifically for resisting pressure from the extremists to renounce their long-held religious practices and submit to the group’s ideology.

“These innocent people were massacred simply because they refused to abandon their faith and submit to a warped doctrine that has no place in our society,” the governor said while commiserating with families of the victims and community leaders.

He condemned the killings as barbaric and vowed that the perpetrators would be hunted down and brought to justice.

In a decisive move to contain the situation, Governor AbdulRazaq announced that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, has approved the immediate deployment of a full army battalion to the affected axis to launch sustained counter-offensives against the attackers.

The military operation, codenamed “Operation Savannah Shield,” is expected to involve ground troops, intelligence units, and coordinated patrols aimed at flushing out the extremists, restoring security, and preventing further attacks on rural communities.

“The President has given clear directives that these criminals must not be allowed to hold any part of our country hostage. The Nigerian Army has been mandated to take the fight to them and secure our people,” the governor stated.

Security sources said the operation would also involve collaboration with other security agencies and local vigilante groups to strengthen intelligence gathering and protect vulnerable settlements.

Community leaders in Kaiama expressed grief over the loss of lives but welcomed the federal government’s swift intervention, urging authorities to ensure a sustained security presence beyond the immediate military operation.

The attack has heightened concerns over the spread of violent extremist cells into border communities in North-Central Nigeria, with residents calling for long-term measures to address security gaps, radicalisation, and the protection of rural populations.

As at the time of filing this report, troops were already being mobilised to strategic locations, while humanitarian officials were assessing the needs of displaced residents.