Kwara massacre: SNG USA seeks seeks U.S. support, national prayer

2026-02-10 - 09:09

Death toll put at 172, local sources claim over 300; urges Tinubu to act By Elizabeth Williams THE Save Nigeria Group, SNG, USA, has condemned what it described as the horrific massacre of scores of residents in Woro and Nuku communities of Kwara State, calling for urgent security intervention by the Federal Government, expanded United States assistance and a National Day of Prayer for the country. In a statement issued in Washington, D.C., SNG USA said more than 170 Nigerians were confirmed killed in the attacks, while credible local reports suggested the death toll could exceed 300 as search teams continued to recover bodies from surrounding bushland. Dozens of residents, the group added, were still missing as at the time of the statement. In the statement by Mr. Stephen Osemwegie, President, and Mr. Victor Onyeka Ben, Media Director, the organisation described the killings as a “catastrophic failure of security” and warned that the incident underscored the spread of terrorism to parts of the country previously considered relatively safe. According to SNG USA, the attack was allegedly carried out by the Lakurawa extremist group, which reportedly executed residents who refused to renounce their allegiance, a development it said confirmed that no region of Nigeria was immune from the expanding terror threat. Call on Tinubu SNG USA called directly on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently fulfill what it described as the most basic constitutional duty of government—protection of lives and property—warning that Nigeria’s current insecurity trajectory was unsustainable. The group cautioned political actors against what it termed a premature shift into election mode ahead of the 2027 general elections, stressing that governance and security must take precedence. “Nigeria is bleeding, and we cannot afford denial or delay,” said President of Save Nigeria Group USA, Mr. Stephen Osemwegie. “Those who pretend these attacks do not concern them are merely waiting their turn. A ‘wait-and-see’ approach is a death sentence for the Nigerian people,” he added. Appeal to United States Citing what it called the declining capacity of local forces to counter increasingly sophisticated terror networks, SNG USA made a formal appeal to the United States Government to expand security cooperation with Nigeria. The group urged the deployment of additional U.S. military advisers, enhanced intelligence sharing and technical assistance to help close what it described as critical gaps in Nigeria’s counterterrorism operations. According to SNG USA, a stable Nigeria is indispensable to the security of West Africa and the transatlantic community, warning that failure to contain the terror threat could have wider regional implications. “American expertise is urgently needed to dismantle these terror networks before they succeed in destabilising the entire region,” the statement said. United front, day of prayer The organisation also called on traditional rulers, religious leaders, civil society groups and opposition political actors to set aside partisan differences and form what it described as a united front against terrorism. In addition, SNG USA called for a National Day of Prayer, urging Nigerians at home and in the diaspora to seek divine intervention for the souls of the victims, comfort for bereaved families, and wisdom and courage for national leaders. Demands SNG USA outlined specific demands, including an immediate and transparent investigation into the security lapses that led to the Kwara attacks, deployment of advanced surveillance and border-monitoring technology across Kwara and neighbouring Niger States, and an urgent refocus of national priorities from political posturing to governance, security and national defence. “The effort to save Nigeria will fail if political ambition continues to be valued above human life,” the group warned.