Nearly 200 individuals have lost their lives due to attacks carried out by armed individuals in remote villages located in central and northern Nigeria, as reported by a local legislator, residents, and law enforcement on Wednesday. Security personnel are currently conducting search and rescue operations while pursuing the attackers.
In the central Kwara state, armed assailants targeted the Woro community on Tuesday, resulting in at least 170 fatalities, according to Saidu Baba Ahmed, the legislator representing the area. This incident marks the deadliest assault in the region this year, adjacent to Niger state, an area increasingly subjected to raids, kidnappings, and livestock theft by gunmen.
Ahmed mentioned that the attackers gathered the residents, tied their hands behind their backs, and carried out executions. He shared images of deceased individuals with Reuters, which have yet to be verified by the agency. During the attack, villagers sought refuge in the surrounding bushland while the gunmen set fire to homes and shops.
Although the police confirmed “scores were killed,” no specific figure was provided. Ahmed stated, “As I’m speaking to you now, I’m in the village along with military personnel, sorting dead bodies and combing the surrounding areas for more.” Several individuals were reported missing on Wednesday morning.
Residents informed Reuters that during a sermon, the gunmen demanded locals renounce their loyalty to the Nigerian state and adopt Sharia Islamic law. When the villagers resisted, the militants resorted to gunfire. Kwara police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi stated that law enforcement and the military have been dispatched to the area for a search-and-rescue mission but refrained from disclosing casualty figures.
Ayodeji Emmanuel Babaomo, the Red Cross secretary in Kwara state, conveyed that hundreds of men launched the attack, resulting in numerous fatalities. Due to the area’s remote location, exact casualty figures remain unclear. Footage aired on local television depicted bodies strewn on the ground, some with bound hands, and burning structures.
Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq described the violence as a “cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells” in response to ongoing military operations targeting armed extremists in the state. The region’s member of parliament, Mohammed Omar Bio, indicated that the attacks in Woro and Nuku on Tuesday were perpetrated by the Lakurawa, an armed group linked to the Islamic State.
In a separate incident in the northern Katsina state, gunmen killed at least 21 individuals by moving from house to house to carry out shootings, breaching a six-month peace agreement with the community. This event underscores the challenges faced by residents in Nigeria’s remote north, where some opt to appease the armed groups by providing resources to avoid being targeted.
Nigeria continues to grapple with a multifaceted security crisis, characterized by Islamic militant insurgency in the northeast, a surge in kidnappings for ransom in the northwest and north-central regions, and intercommunal violence in central states. Despite recent attacks, no group has claimed responsibility for the assaults conducted on Tuesday.
The Nigerian military previously stated that the Lakurawa group has origins in neighboring Niger and intensified its activities in Nigeria’s border regions following a military coup in 2023. The government is under pressure to enhance security following allegations by U.S. President Donald Trump regarding the protection of Christians amid Islamist attacks and mass abductions. U.S. forces conducted airstrikes on what they deemed terrorist targets on December 25, collaborating with Nigerian authorities to bolster security and refute claims of systematic persecution against Christians.
