The new terrorist group called Mahmuda has invaded Duruma village in Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, killing three people in the process.
Our reporter reliably learnt that the group had last week allegedly set a farm settlement in the area on fire.

The recent attack on the village happened in the early hours of yesterday.

However, a highly placed source said the terrorist group took advantage of the local hunters currently in Ilorin on training for the National Forest Guard, recently approved by the presidency to provide security for communities.

The Mahmuda group, in a fresh attack on Duruma village in Baruten Local Government Area, Kwara State, on Tuesday morning, slaughtered three villagers who have since been buried.

The Chief of Army Staff, in April, visited the areas after which soldiers were deployed to the thick forests to flush out the terrorists, during which twelve of them were arrested.

Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who also visited the troubled communities, gave 25 motorcycles to the local hunters as logistics to complement the soldiers.

It was gathered from the locals that members of the terrorist group never left the areas but were incapacitated by the presence of the soldiers and local hunters.

According to a source (names withheld), “Our local hunters are currently in Ilorin for the training of the National Forest Guard on how they can effectively use weapons to fight the terrorists.

“Eventually, Mahmuda people felt their absence because they are no longer in the areas they used to be, so they struck those areas and killed three villagers.

“Though the soldiers eventually came to the areas firing gunshots in the air after they had fled,” he said, adding: “A week ago, they also set fire to a farm settlement.”

Other affected areas where the terrorists hold sway are Kemaanji, Tenebo, Baabete, Nuku, and Nanu in Kaiama Local Government, as well as villages in Yashikira District in Baruten.

According to the locals, the group has also seized communities in Babana and Wawa Districts in Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.

“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,” another source said.

It was recently reported that Mahmuda is a new terror group emerging in Nigeria’s North Central region, terrorising residents of rural communities near Kainji Lake National Park (KLNP).