Survivors of last week’s brutal attack on Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area continue to reel from the scale of the tragedy, with many still uncertain about the fate of loved ones.
Danjuma Bagu, one of the survivors receiving treatment for a gunshot wound at Kwara State University Teaching Hospital (KWASUTH), told reporters he has had no contact with his wife and six children since the attack.
“As I speak with you now, I don’t know if my wife and six children are alive. I have not heard from them since Tuesday, after the incident. I also lost my phone,” Bagu said. He had come to Woro from Jos to farm when about 200 gunmen on motorcycles stormed the community, firing indiscriminately.
Another survivor, Joshua Dame, a farmer from Plateau State, recounted how he narrowly escaped death. Dame, who was shot in the stomach and right hand, described lying among the wounded and pretending to be dead as attackers moved through the town, looting and setting homes ablaze. “I crawled into the forest from when I was shot until the army rescued us the following morning, eight hours later, drenched in blood. I honestly don’t know how I survived,” he said.
Community leaders confirmed that casualty figures have risen to 150, with search and rescue operations ongoing. Alhaji Salihu Bio Umar, the village head of Woro, said many remain missing and are believed to have been abducted.
“Thirty-seven Muslim victims were buried on Thursday, in addition to 75 earlier interred, and one more body was discovered on Saturday. We have also recorded 21 Christian corpses, eight Togolese nationals, and eight Hausas from Zakirai,” Umar said. He added that more than 100 persons are still unaccounted for.
Dr Abdul Woro, another resident, said additional bodies were discovered in burnt homes and the surrounding forest. “There is still a strong smell of decomposing bodies. While security operatives are present, the community remains largely deserted,” he said.
