A presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has called for an international investigation into the recent killings in Woro community, Kwara State, urging the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights to probe why intelligence warnings about the attack were allegedly ignored.
In a statement made available to The PUNCH on Sunday, the former presidential candidate said condolences alone were no longer sufficient in the face of such large-scale violence.
He condemned the killings, which he described as a grim illustration of Nigeria’s worsening rural insecurity and the failure of state protection.
Olawepo-Hashim said the attack, which reportedly claimed nearly 200 lives, exposed deep flaws in the country’s security architecture, particularly the inability of authorities to respond swiftly to distress calls from remote communities.
“This killing is unprecedented in its scale and unmatched in its barbarity. I offer my condolences to the Woro community, but condolence is not enough this time around,” he said.
The presidential aspirant called for an international investigation into the incident.
“The killings in Woro have demonstrated how easy it is for any group of deranged men to take hundreds of lives without resistance,” Olawepo-Hashim said, questioning the absence of aerial intervention during the attack despite Nigeria’s air power capabilities along the Wawa–New Bussa axis, less than a 15-minute flight from Woro.
He further argued that Nigeria had previously demonstrated rapid response capacity in military operations abroad, citing interventions in Sierra Leone and Liberia.
“The Nigerian Army stopped killings in Sierra Leone and Liberia before. Why then can it not stop the slaughter of Nigerians in their own communities?” he asked.
Olawepo-Hashim also highlighted reports that the attackers had issued a threat letter prior to the massacre, raising concerns over the alleged withdrawal of deployed troops.
“Nigerians deserve to know who ordered that withdrawal and why,” he said, warning that repeated failures to protect rural communities could push residents toward self-help, vigilantism, and ethnic profiling.
“The Woro killings should not become normalised. The Federal Government, the Nigerian Air Force, and other security agencies must release a detailed operational account, including timelines of distress calls and reasons for the absence of aerial deployment,” Olawepo-Hashim urged.
The Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State was attacked by heavily armed gunmen on Tuesday, February 3, 2026, resulting in the deaths of nearly 200 residents.
Reports from multiple credible sources confirmed that armed gunmen stormed Woro and neighbouring Nuku in the Kaiama Local Government Area of the state, killing scores of residents.
The Federal Government has since deployed troops in the communities to restore normalcy and forestall reprisal.
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