The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the killing of about 170 people in Kwara State, saying the attack demonstrates a serious failure of security under President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said the massacre in Kaiama Local Government Area shows that government efforts to tackle insecurity are not working.

The ADC questioned what had become of the president’s declaration of a state of emergency on security announced in November 2025, as well as his promise to recruit thousands of police officers.

According to the party, the continued mass killings suggest that those measures were either ineffective or never fully implemented.

Part of the statement read: “The African Democratic Congress (ADC) condemns in the strongest possible terms the recent gruesome killing of about 170 innocent Nigerians in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.

“This horrific massacre is one of the worst atrocities recorded in recent times and stands as a painful reminder of the complete.”

The party also raised concerns that the increased security activities witnessed last year may have been more about optics than a genuine attempt to protect Nigerians, particularly following comments by the President of the United States.

It said the pattern of attacks across the country indicates that violence is not being curtailed but merely displaced from one area to another.

The ADC warned that killings in places such as Kwara and mass abductions in Kaduna point to deeper deficiencies in intelligence gathering, border control, inter-agency cooperation, and emergency response.

It called on the Federal Government to be transparent with Nigerians about the true state of security, clarify the status of the promised police recruitment, and outline clear measures to prevent armed groups from moving freely across states.

The party said a government that cannot protect the lives of its citizens has failed in its most fundamental responsibility, adding that Nigerians deserve decisive action rather than condolences after each tragedy.

The United Nations, the US, and Türkiye have condemned the killings in Kwara.

In a separate statement, they said the attack, which left about 75 people dead and several others wounded, and described the incident as “heinous”.

In an X post, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said, “I strongly condemn the terrorist attack of 3 February in Kwara State, Nigeria.

“My heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims & to the people & government of Nigeria. I wish a speedy recovery to the injured.”

Also, the United States in Nigeria said, “The United States condemns the horrific attack in Kwara State in Nigeria, which claimed the lives of more than 160 people, with the death toll still unconfirmed and many still unaccounted for.

“We express our deepest condolences to the families of those affected by this senseless violence. We welcome President Tinubu’s order to deploy security forces to protect villages in the area and his directive to federal and state officials to provide aid to the community and bring the perpetrators of this atrocity to justice.”

The Turkish government also said, “Regarding the terrorist attack in Nigeria, we are deeply saddened by the loss of lives caused by the terrorist attack that took place in Nigeria’s Kwara state.

“We strongly condemn this heinous attack and extend our condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and to the people of Nigeria. Türkiye will continue to support Nigeria in its fight against terrorism,” its Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated.

Meanwhile, the Inspector-General of Police has ordered the immediate deployment of tactical, operational, and intelligence assets to Kaiama Local Government Area following the attack.

The Nigerian Police Force condemned the incident, describing it as tragic, and confirmed that a manhunt is underway to arrest those responsible.

Gunmen had attacked Woro and neighbouring Nuku communities on Tuesday, killing at least 75 people, burning shops and a traditional ruler’s residence, and forcing residents to flee their homes.

Some reports have suggested a higher casualty figure.

The Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman AbdulRazaq, described the incident as a “pure massacre” and confirmed that at least 75 victims had already been buried.

President Bola Tinubu has also ordered the deployment of an army battalion to reinforce security in the state under Operation Savannah Shield.

Political groups, including a faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Northern States Governors’ Forum, have condemned the killings, describing them as barbaric and indicative of worsening insecurity in the region.

The Kwara Police Command has confirmed that at least 75 people were killed in the recent attack on communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of the state.

The Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, disclosed this on Friday during an interview on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief programme.

“The present toll of casualties that we have from that dastardly act that happened on the 3rd of February at about 17:30 hours is 75. Investigations are still ongoing, and we will continue to update members of the public as necessary,” she said.

According to her, the Kwara State Police Command was promptly informed after the incident, following which the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, ordered an immediate deployment to the affected communities.

She explained that the location of the attack posed a challenge, noting that the affected area is about two hours from the divisional headquarters in Kaiama.

“When this incident happened, the Kwara State Police Command was informed accordingly, and the Commissioner of Police deployed personnel immediately to that community. Police personnel, alongside the military and the National Forest Guard, moved in almost immediately after the incident,” she said.

Responding to concerns that the attackers may have been in the community for some time before launching the assault, the police spokesperson said investigations were ongoing.

“The police are still investigating the information that the perpetrators had probably stayed in that town for a while before carrying out that dastardly act. It is really an unfortunate incident, and we are working tirelessly to ensure that such an event does not occur again,” she stated.

She added that ongoing clearance operations in Kwara and neighbouring Kogi State had disrupted the activities of armed groups in recent weeks.

“In the last month, there have been clearance operations in Kwara State and Kogi State, which have in a way, disorganised these bandits. We had been experiencing relative peace in Kwara South until this incident occurred in Kwara North,” she said.

Ejire-Adeyemi further disclosed that the Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, had ordered the reinforcement of security in the area.

“The Inspector-General of Police has ensured that adequate security is beefed up in that environment. As of this moment, it is relatively peaceful, and efforts are ongoing to apprehend these miscreants. We are committed to ensuring that such an occurrence does not happen again,” she added.

Asked whether there was a police presence in Woro village at the time of the attack, the spokesperson confirmed that there was.

“We had a team. It might not have been a heavy deployment, but we have a police post in that community,” she said.

Further questioned if the police post was active at the time of the attack, she responded in the affirmative.

However, when confronted with claims by residents that security operatives did not arrive until about 10 hours after the attack began, Ejire-Adeyemi admitted that the officers on the ground may have been ‘overwhelmed’.

“At that moment, I believe they were probably overwhelmed. We also have collaboration with local vigilantes in that community, and most importantly, the National Forest Guard is also present there.

“Because of the distance from the community to the divisional headquarters, it took time before reinforcements arrived, but definitely, reinforcements came,” she said.

The state police spokesperson acknowledged that a stronger security presence might have helped to repel the attackers.