LAGOS, Nigeria

The death toll from an attack in Kwara State in north-central Nigeria has risen to 170, a lawmaker said Thursday.

The state government previously confirmed that 75 victims were buried in a mass burial on Wednesday; however, a lawmaker said 170 bodies had been recovered this morning.

Lawmaker Saidu Baba Ahmed, representing the Gwanabe/Gwaria constituency of Kaiama Local Government Area in the State House of Assembly, told Anadolu on Thursday that the casualty figure continued to climb.

“Information at my disposal indicated that the casualties have risen to 170. So, our people are still in the bush searching for more bodies. 35 women were abducted. Survivors are also taking refuge in the bush,” he said.

Reacting to the attack late Wednesday, former Kwara governor and ex-Senate president Bukola Saraki condemned the killings, describing them as a national disaster.

He said the scale of the violence was beyond the capacity of the state government and required decisive and direct federal intervention.

Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq announced Wednesday that “President Bola Tinubu has approved the immediate deployment of an army battalion under ‘Operation Savannah Shield’ to launch counter-offensives against the perpetrators.”

Kwara State, particularly communities bordering forest belts, has in recent months faced growing security challenges linked to banditry, kidnapping, and the movement of armed groups fleeing military pressure in neighbouring states in Nigeria’s northwest and north-central regions.