At least 162 people are feared dead following coordinated attacks on Woro and Nuku villages in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, making the incident one of the deadliest terrorist assaults in Nigeria this year.
The death toll was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon by Mohammed Omar Bio, the lawmaker representing the area. He stated that the attacks, which occurred on Tuesday, were carried out by the Lakurawa armed group, believed to be linked to the Islamic State, although no group has officially claimed responsibility.
Local sources reported that gunmen stormed the villages, rounded up residents, tied their hands behind their backs, and executed them. Homes and shops were also set ablaze during the assault.
A Kaiama-based politician, Sa’idu Baba Ahmed, said many residents fled into nearby bushland despite suffering gunshot wounds, while several people—including the community’s traditional ruler—remain missing.
Residents told reporters that the attackers were jihadists who had previously visited the villages to preach, demanding that residents renounce allegiance to the Nigerian state and adopt Sharia law. When villagers resisted, the gunmen reportedly opened fire.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq condemned the killings, describing them as a “cowardly” act carried out by terrorist cells reacting to intensified military operations in the region.
Kwara State shares a border with Niger State, where armed groups have expanded their presence in recent years. The Nigerian military has confirmed that it recently launched sustained operations against terrorist elements in the area.
In a separate incident on the same day, gunmen killed at least 13 people in Doma village, Faskari Local Government Area of Katsina State, according to police, underscoring the ongoing wave of violence across northern Nigeria.
