Terrorists Raid Gada Oli, Loot Shops in Kwara North

Armed men on motorcycles stormed Gada Oli, a village in the Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, late Saturday, February 28, 2026. The attackers reportedly entered the community, shooting sporadically into the air, forcing terrified residents to flee into the surrounding bushes. According to local sources, the group focused on looting commercial assets, specifically targeting phone shops and general stores, carting away various goods.

While no fatalities were recorded in this specific raid, the incident has reignited the trauma of the February 3 massacre, where over 170 people were killed in coordinated attacks on the nearby Woro and Nuku communities. That massacre, the deadliest in Nigeria so far this year, was attributed to jihadist factions linked to the Lakurawa or Boko Haram generic groups operating from the Kainji Lake National Park forest corridors.

Security Response and Local Impact

The raid on Gada Oli occurred despite the presence of Operation Savannah Shield, a joint military offensive launched by President Bola Tinubu in early February. The operation, involving an army battalion headquartered at the Sobi Military Cantonment, was intended to flush out terrorists from the Borgu and Kaiama forest regions.

The persistent insecurity has led to significant shifts in daily life across Kwara North:

• Night Curfews: Kaiama LGA remains under a strictly enforced night curfew from 9:00 p.m. to 5:30 a.m., a measure introduced by Council Chairman Abubakar Danladi to protect lives and property.

• Ramadan Disruptions: In communities like Gbugbu, Motokun, and Agboro, residents have abandoned traditional night congregational prayers (Tarawih) due to the risk of evening ambushes.

• Community Anxiety: Residents have expressed frustration that while military patrols have increased, the terrorists still maintain the ability to strike remote villages at will and retreat into the dense forest.

The Kwara State Police Command has yet to issue a formal statement regarding the Gada Oli raid, but vigilantes and military units are reportedly on high alert in the Kaiama-Woro axis. Security analysts suggest the attackers are likely part of the same cells that carried out the February massacre, exploiting the “porous” borders between Kwara and Niger states.