President Bola Tinubu has assured that those behind the recent killings in Kwara State will be brought to justice and will not escape punishment.
The president gave the assurance on Thursday when Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, governor of Kwara, paid a visit to the State House in Abuja to brief him on the violent attacks in Kaiama LGA.
At least 75 people were reportedly killed on Wednesday, while several homes were razed, after terrorists attacked the Nuku and Woro communities in the local government area.
Abdulrazaq had linked the attacks to Islamic fundamentalists.
Following the incident, Tinubu ordered the deployment of an army battalion to the affected area.
Reacting, the president described the killings as “particularly disturbing”, noting that the victims were targeted for rejecting “an attempt at forced indoctrination”.
He said the attackers were “heartless for choosing soft targets in their doomed campaign of terror”.
“It is commendable that the community members, even though Muslims, refused to be conscripted into a weird belief that promoted violence over peace and dialogue. Nigeria will never surrender its people to extremism and terrorism masquerading as faith,” the president said.
“I have further directed close collaboration between federal and state agencies to provide immediate support and relief to the affected community and to ensure that those responsible for this atrocity are pursued and brought to justice, just like other terrorists before them.
“They will not go scot-free.
“I pray for the repose of the souls of the departed and extend my deepest condolences to the families who have lost loved ones.
“I also sympathise with the people and government of Kwara State.
“The federal government stands with you. We will protect our communities, defend our values, and defeat those who seek to divide us through terror.”
The development comes amid a renewed wave of deadly attacks across parts of northern Nigeria in recent weeks.