The military claimed it carried out 'sustained coordinated' action in Kwara State last month....

Nigerian security forces launched Operation Savannah Shield on Monday February 9, 2026, a new military initiative aimed at curbing village attacks in Kaiama and neighbouring Niger State, after an assault on Woro village.

Footage showed military pickup trucks mounted with guns stationed around Woro village as the army restored order, helped locals and cordoned off parts of the community.

Troops patrolled and interacted with villagers, and local vigilantes monitored the area after property was burned in the aftermath of attacks.

Local vigilantes say they remained under-equipped, and within a short period, they had lost 15 members to attacks.

They also appealed for help to rescue abducted women and children.

“Some of us were taken to the city for training as forest guards […] we thought we'd be handed some strong weapons like the AK-47 we were trained with. Alas, not even a cutlass was handed to us after the training,” Umaru Abdullahi, an armed vigilante, said.

Another local armed resident, Yusuf Isa, expressed frustration over what he described as a lack of government support.

“We don't have proper rifles to tackle or to encounter these people,” he said.

“If the government can support us with the rifles and other necessary things, at least we will not allow war to terminate our community because we don't have anywhere to go,” he added.

According to media reports, the Director of Nigerian Defence Media Operations, Major General Michael Onoja, said the operation was launched on presidential directive and carved out of Operation Fansan Yamma, which tackles terrorism in the North West.

Major Onoja said Savannah Shield strengthened security operations and 'flushed out terrorists' who operated in the affected areas.

The operation followed the gunmen attacks which left more than 160 people in the villages of Woro and Nuku in Kwara State on Tuesday February 10, 2026.

Red Cross Officials reported that at least 162 people were confirmed dead, and more bodies may yet be found as searches continue.

Kwara State's governor condemned the violence as a 'cowardly' attack on civilians. Nigeria's president, Bola Tinubu, called the attack 'beastly' and deployed an army battalion to the Kaiama district to assist security forces.

It comes as the country is facing both jihadists in the north-east and bandit attacks and kidnappings across the north and central regions.

Troops have since secured the community, conducting clearance and confidence-building patrols to reassure residents of their safety