Members of the new terrorist group, Mahmuda, have reportedly exploited security gaps created by the absence of local hunters, currently in Ilorin undergoing training for the newly approved National Forests Guard, by launching a fresh attack on Duruma village in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The terrorists reportedly struck on Tuesday morning, killing three villagers, who were immediately buried by the community.
The attack occurred despite the presence of soldiers deployed in flashpoint areas in recent months.
It will be recalled that in April, the Chief of Army Staff visited the region, following which troops were deployed into the thick forests to flush out terrorist elements.
During that operation, 12 suspects were arrested.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq also visited the troubled communities and reportedly provided 25 motorcycles to local hunters to support military operations.
However, sources told The PUNCH that members of the terrorist group had never fully left the area, though they had been incapacitated by the presence of soldiers and local hunters.
According to a local resident of Baruten, who spoke anonymously:
“Our local hunters are currently in Ilorin for the training of the National Forests Guard on how they can also effectively use weapons to fight the terrorists.
“Eventually, Mahmuda people felt their absence because they were no longer in the area they used to be, so it was in those areas that the terrorists killed the three villagers.
“Though the soldiers eventually came to the areas firing gunshots in the air, they had already fled.
“A week before now, they also set fire to a farm settlement,” he recounted.
Other affected areas where the terrorists are reportedly operating include Kemaanji, Tenebo, Baabete, Nuku, and Nanu in Kaiama Local Government Area, as well as several villages in Yashikira District, all in Kwara State.
Local sources also revealed that the Mahmuda group has seized control of communities in Babana and Wawa Districts in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
Another local source said: “As I am talking to you, our community, Kemanji, is under the control of these people. They have not entered the main Kaiama town, and that was how it started in Sokoto, Kebbi and other states. Our community is about 10 kilometres from Kaiama.”
The PUNCH earlier reported that Mahmuda is an emerging terror group in Nigeria’s North Central region, known for attacking rural communities near Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP).
Attempts to get a response from the Kwara State Police Command were unsuccessful, as spokesperson, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, did not respond to calls placed to her phone, and a WhatsApp message sent to her was not replied to as of the time of filing this report.
