At least 162 people were killed in a brutal attack on a Nigerian village, one of the deadliest in recent months, as security forces intensify anti-terror operations.
KWARA: Gunmen killed at least 162 people in a village in Nigeria’s west-central Kwara state.
The attack late Tuesday on Woro village is one of the deadliest in the country in recent months, a Red Cross official confirmed.
Babaomo Ayodeji, Kwara state secretary of the Red Cross, said the search for more bodies continues.
Local lawmaker Sa’idu Baba Ahmed earlier told AFP that between 35 to 40 bodies were initially counted.
Ahmed said many others escaped into the bush with gunshot wounds, and more bodies could be found.
The gunmen invaded around 6:00 pm on Tuesday and set shops and the king’s palace ablaze.
The whereabouts of the traditional king, Alhaji Salihu Umar, remains unknown.
Police confirmed the attack but did not provide casualty figures.
The state government blamed “terrorist cells” for the massacre.
Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq condemned it as a cowardly act of frustration by terrorists.
He linked it to ongoing counterterrorism campaigns by the military in parts of the state.
The Nigerian military recently intensified operations against jihadists and armed bandits in the region.
Last month, the army said it launched sustained offensive operations against terrorist elements in Kwara.
Local media reported the army had “neutralised” 150 bandits in those campaigns.
A January 30 army statement said troops cleared hideouts and destroyed remote camps and logistics.
In response to security woes, Kwara authorities had imposed curfews and closed schools for weeks.
Schools were ordered to reopen just one day before the latest attack.
Parts of Nigeria are plagued by armed gangs who loot villages and kidnap for ransom.
The country also suffers from intercommunal violence in central states and jihadist activity in the northeast.
Insecurity in Africa’s most populous nation has drawn intense international scrutiny recently.
US President Donald Trump previously alleged a “genocide” of Christians in Nigeria.
The Nigerian government and many independent experts have rejected that claim.
They say the security crises claim the lives of both Christians and Muslims without distinction.
