The traditional chief of Woro, a small Muslim-majority village in Kwara state, western Nigeria, has recounted a night of terror in which gunmen killed two of his sons and abducted his wife and three daughters.
Umar Bio Salihu, 53, told Agence France-Presse that the attackers arrived at about 5pm on Tuesday, “just came in and started shooting”. He said shops along the road were set alight and some people were burned inside their homes. “They killed two of (my sons) standing at the front of my house. They took away my second wife with some three (daughters). They are with them presently in the bush,” he said.
Salihu survived by hiding in a house and later fled to the neighbouring town of Kaiama. He said the assault continued until about 3am. “When the day breaks, the corpses we see, it’s too much,” he added.
Footage from local stations after attacks on Woro and neighbouring Nuku showed bodies in pools of blood, some with hands tied, and burning houses. The International Committee of the Red Cross said the death toll stood at 162 and searchers were still recovering bodies, making it the deadliest attack in Nigeria so far this year.
Salihu said the attackers had sent a letter saying they would come to preach, and turned violent when people did not attend. Residents told Reuters that the group had long urged locals to abandon the Nigerian state and adopt sharia rule.
President Bola Tinubu condemned the “beastly attack”, deployed an army battalion to the region, and blamed the Islamist extremist movement often referred to as Boko Haram, a name commonly used generically for jihadist groups in Nigeria.
Amnesty International’s Nigeria office described the assault as “a stunning security failure”. The attack is the latest in a series of violence by jihadists and armed gangs across Nigeria, which is facing a jihadist insurgency in its north-east and north-west and rising looting and kidnappings by “bandits” in other regions.
Experts say Kwara is becoming a new frontier for armed groups expanding beyond traditional strongholds. James Barnett of the Hudson Institute told Associated Press that groups are moving farther afield amid competition in their usual areas.
Armed groups active in Nigeria include at least two Islamic State affiliates: the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), an offshoot of Boko Haram, and the Islamic State Sahel Province, known locally as Lakurawa. The military has said Lakurawa has roots in neighbouring Niger and grew more active in Nigerian border communities after Niger’s 2023 coup. Kwara borders Niger state, where ISWAP and other groups have increased village attacks and mass kidnappings.
The assault on Woro comes amid intensified scrutiny of insecurity in Nigeria, following claims by US president Donald Trump last year that there was a “genocide” against Christians — a characterization rejected by the Nigerian government and many experts, who say violence in the country kills both Christians and Muslims.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, unknown gunmen killed at least 13 people in Doma village in Katsina state, a police spokesperson said.
Agence France-Presse, Reuters and Associated Press contributed to this report.
