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21:09 GMT
RABAT, Feb 5 (KUNA) - President of Nigeria Bola Tinubu ordered Thursday the immediate deployment of an army battalion to Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State following a devastating terrorist attack on Worro community which left over 162 people dead.
In a press statement issued by the Nigerian President, Tinubu condemned the cowardly and inhumane assault on unarmed civilians.
He stated that while terrorists seek to destabilize the nation through indiscriminate violence, that the Federal Government would not allow any part of the country to become a sanctuary for terror or intimidation.
The President announced that the newly assigned military formation would spearhead Operation Savannah Shield, a reinforced security initiative designed to flush out criminal elements, prevent further incursions and restore confidence among vulnerable rural communities.
Tinubu further directed federal security agencies to streamline coordination to provide urgent humanitarian relief to displaced families.
He emphasized the need for "heightened intelligence gathering" to ensure the perpetrators of the massacre are swiftly apprehended and held accountable.
Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation and its leading oil producer, continues to grapple with a protracted insurgency that began in 2009.
While the northeast remains the primary theater for Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), the country is increasingly confronting a complex security landscape involving armed "bandits" in the northwest and the emergence of extremist factions such as the Lakwarawa in central regions. (end)
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