Authorities confirmed Monday that 12 forest guards were killed after gunmen attacked a community in Kwara State, northcentral Nigeria.
Police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi disclosed that the killings took place Sunday in Oke-Ode, though no group has yet claimed responsibility. The victims’ bodies were later discovered by police officers working alongside the National Forest Security Service.
“The victims sustained multiple gunshot wounds,” Ejire-Adeyemi said, revealing that four survivors remain hospitalized.
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Kwara State governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq condemned the attack and urged federal forces to take decisive action. “I urge our brave residents to remain calm and avoid the temptation to turn on ourselves. I equally commend all the forest guards and the local hunters who, though lost five of their compatriots, equally neutralised several of the attackers,” he said in a statement.
Clashes between farmers and herders are a persistent problem across northern Nigeria, often escalating into violent confrontations. Farmers accuse mostly Fulani herders of destroying crops by grazing animals on farmlands, while herders maintain they are using historic grazing routes recognized by law as far back as 1965.
The Kwara killings follow a series of violent incidents in the region. In June, more than 150 people were killed in a single assault on a community in Benue State.
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