The Nigeria Police Force has condemned Tuesday’s deadly attack in Kaiama LGA, Kwara State, and announced an emergency security deployment as authorities widen investigations into one of the state’s worst recent mass-casualty incidents.
In a statement issued Thursday by Force spokesperson ACP Benjamin Hundeyin, the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, expressed condolences to victims’ families and ordered the immediate deployment of tactical, intelligence and operational assets to Kaiama and nearby communities.
Police said a manhunt is underway for all those behind the assault, adding that “the perpetrators will not escape the long arm of the law.” Authorities also called on residents to provide timely intelligence through police channels to support arrests and prevent further attacks.
The police statement cites 75 confirmed deaths. However, other field reports from humanitarian and international media sources have since put the toll significantly higher—around 162 to 170—as body recovery continued in affected villages, highlighting an ongoing discrepancy in official and non-official counts.
President Bola Tinubu has separately ordered additional military reinforcement in the area, underscoring federal concern that insecurity is spreading into parts of north-central and western Nigeria previously seen as relatively less exposed to large-scale jihadist assaults.
Security analysts say the immediate priority is stabilisation—securing communities, recovering missing persons, and restoring confidence—while investigators work to identify the attackers, their logistics routes, and possible local collaborators. If casualty figures continue to rise, pressure is likely to mount for a coordinated police-military-civil response beyond short-term deployments.
