Kwara horror: Those who ran inside their houses were burnt with the houses —Victim

•Another: I pretended to be dead after being shot

• ‘Attackers struck three days after soldiers deployed to the area left’

By Demola Akinyemi, Ilorin

It was a day of festivities in Woro, Kaiama local government area of Kwara State as the community bustled with life on Tuesday.

A big society wedding ceremony was taking place. As a result, there was an influx of crowds into the community, even as an army of youths was also engaged in a football tournament. Nobody except the blood-sucking terrorists suspected that evil was lurking around the corner before they struck around 5 pm.

Three survivors, Ibrahim Farouk and Joshua Deme, both farmers, and Usman Bangoro, a miner, narrated the horror they saw to Sunday Vanguard on their sick bed in an Ilorin hospital where they were receiving treatment.

According to the survivors who have been resident in the community for 15 years in separate interviews, the terrorists came on motorcycles, numbering about 299 with three persons, mostly about 15 years of age, each on a motorcycle. They said it was a well-planned attack, as some of the attackers also surrounded the community. None came with a cutlass, they said, as the attackers were armed with guns and bullets wrapped around their bodies.

Those on motorcycles were shooting indiscriminately everyone in sight while residents who attempted to run away were pursued and shot dead. The terrorists also threw bombs into houses and shops as residents ran for safety.
Their plan, according to the survivors, was not to have anyone alive again in Woro.35 more corpses were recovered from the forests adjoining the community on Friday morning.

Excerpts of the survivors’ horror: Ibrahim Farouk, a farmer

The attackers earlier sent a message that they were coming to preach, but the village head declined. We live in that community and they came to our houses to attack us. Some of us are farmers from Plateau, Kebbi, Sokoto, Kaduna states and different parts of the country.

We came to that community to farm and had settled in the community for over 15 years. They (attackers) burnt our houses. I narrowly escaped death. I was on a bike getting close to my house when I was stopped. There were three of them on their own bike. One of the bandits asked me to stop, but another said I should go. The third one holding a rifle said I should stop to test me if bullet would penetrate my body and he shot me on the thigh.

They left me after shooting my thigh. From there I was rescued alongside others and brought to hospital in Ilorin for treatment. Five of us were brought to Ilorin, with one already discharged and some others taken to Kainji. The local government provided ambulance to take the injured to Ilorin. Senator Sadiq Abubabar and Bata, a commissioner, have visited.

What’s delaying operations on my leg is blood donation. Out of the five of us brought to Ilorin, two need operations on their thighs, bullets pierced through and broke their bones while bullets brushed through other’s bodies. Six others have been taken to Kainji general hospital. All the attackers came with guns and not cutlass.

And those who ran inside their houses were burnt with the houses. We didn’t record any casualty among all those brought to the hospital. Most of them were caught up in the mayhem while coming back or returning from their work. The bodies of those killed are still being found inside bush as at Friday.

The way the attackers behaved showed they didn’t know God or believe they’ll die. We’ve lived peacefully until the bandits attacked on Tuesday evening. The bandits had surrounded the whole community before they started shooting sporadically and attacking residents.

They came in large numbers and I couldn’t count them. There were three on each bike. The casualty was large because there were a wedding and youth activities like football match. The bandits used the community vehicle to take away 75 abducted people, including women and children. They even planted bomb on the Kaiama road while a trailer carrying soya beans stepped on it and exploded while the trailer got burnt. The solution to banditry is that government should clear adjoining forest and burn it so that everywhere will be clear for all to see what is inside.

Joshua Deme, a farmer

We live in a village. I needed to buy detergent in town and while away time to drink Kunnu. At that point we just heard sporadic shooting.

We looked outside to see what was happening. Then we saw that bandits were all around. Young ones among them were shooting and the older ones burning houses. The young ones shooting were of about 15 years of age. The one who shot me was not up to 15 years. The old one who attacked me called me a witch as his gun could not fire, that was after firing the shot that killed my friend. Then he instructed the young one to shoot me, brushing my stomach.

The senior one said I was not dead, asking the young one to shoot me again. But the young one said I was dead because I wasn’t moving. Those who tried to escape were pursued with motor bike and gunned down in the bush. I’m lucky because my wife and children had escaped.

They’re on their way home to Jos. I called them this morning. I’m hopeful I’ll survive the wound. If I have money I’ll join my wife and children. Our findings revealed that the bandits had brought a letter, saying that they wanted to come and preach. The Woro village head took the letter to the Kaiama Emir who informed security agencies. Soldiers were deployed to the area for three days and left. However, the bandits attacked three days after the security men left the area.

Usman Bangoro, a miner from Tambuwal, Sokoto State

We’re miners in the community. I went to a place where we wash minerals. I just heard gunshots. They wore army uniform. You won’t believe they were not soldiers. But as you were running, they were shooting. It is God that spared my life as I narrowly escaped with gunshot.

Those people who attacked look emaciated but deadly. Without guns in their hands I could have overpowered them. They shot at close range and at anything they saw. The bullets pierced through my right thigh to the left and broke my bone. I’ve lived in the community for more than 10 years as a miner.”

Vanguard News Nigeria

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