A security expert, Salihu Dantata, has claimed that the number of people killed in the recent attack in Kwara State is far higher than the figures being released by the government.
Dantata made the disclosure on Thursday during an interview on Arise Television, where he said real-time information was being transmitted by residents as the violence unfolded.
According to him, despite early alerts from locals, security forces arrived too late, allowing the attackers to carry out what he described as a mass slaughter.
“As the incident was happening, residents already started transmitting the information. Unfortunately, rescue did not come until a lot of people were massacred,” he said.
Dantata explained that the affected area had recently experienced Mamuda terrorist invasion, noting that the same local government, alongside Baruto Local Government, had earlier been warned by the group not to go to farms during the planting season.
He further alleged that the official casualty figures are being understated, claiming that local sources reported much higher numbers.
“Even the figure the government is trying to give now is beyond that. As I speak to you, before I got here, they told me they had casualties rising up to 300,” he added.
The comments have intensified calls for a transparent investigation and a stronger security response to protect rural communities in Kwara State and neighbouring areas
