At least 162 people have been killed in Kwara State, in what is Nigeria’s deadliest attack this year, according to Red Cross officials and local authorities.
The deadly assault took place on Tuesday in Woro village. Babaomo Ayodeji, Kwara State Red Cross secretary, confirmed that the death toll had reached 162 by Wednesday afternoon, AFP reports. A local politician, speaking to Reuters, suggested the number could be higher, possibly around 170.
Sa’idu Baba Ahmed, a politician from the Kaiama area, told Reuters that attackers rounded up villagers, tied their hands, and executed them. He said the assailants also set homes and shops on fire. “I am in the village along with military personnel, sorting dead bodies and searching nearby areas,” Ahmed said.
He added that many villagers escaped into the surrounding bush with gunshot injuries, while several residents, including the village’s traditional ruler, remain missing.
Witnesses described the attackers as jihadists who frequently preached in the village, demanding that residents abandon loyalty to the Nigerian state in favor of Sharia law. When villagers refused, the gunmen opened fire during a sermon.
Police have confirmed the attack but have not released official casualty numbers.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq condemned the killings, calling them “a cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells” reacting to intensified counter-terrorism operations in the state.
Kwara shares a border with Niger State, a region increasingly affected by armed gangs. The Nigerian military recently reported operations against what it described as terrorist groups in the area.
Nigeria continues to face multiple security challenges, including jihadist insurgencies in the north-east and north-west, widespread kidnappings by bandits, and ongoing intercommunal violence in central states.
The rise in violence has drawn international attention. US Africa Command confirmed sending a small military team to Nigeria to boost cooperation, even as critics argue authorities have failed to prioritize public safety.
