More than 160 people have been killed in coordinated armed attacks on two villages in Kwara State, marking one of the deadliest episodes of violence in Nigeria so far this year.
The assaults occurred on Tuesday in Woro and Nuku villages in the Kaiama area of the state. By Wednesday afternoon, the death toll had risen to 162, according to a lawmaker representing the constituency, Mohammed Omar Bio.
Local officials said the attacks were carried out by the Lakurawa group, an armed faction linked to the Islamic State, although no group has formally claimed responsibility.
Eyewitness accounts described a brutal operation. According to community leaders, gunmen gathered residents, tied their hands, and killed them at close range. Homes and shops were also set ablaze, leaving large parts of the villages destroyed.
Survivors say they fled into nearby bush areas, many with gunshot wounds, while several residents remain unaccounted for, including a traditional ruler.
Residents told authorities that the attackers, believed to be jihadists, had previously appeared in the community preaching and demanding that locals abandon allegiance to the Nigerian state in favor of Sharia law. When villagers resisted, the attackers reportedly opened fire.
Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has condemned the violence, describing it as a desperate act by terrorist cells facing mounting pressure from ongoing military operations in the area.
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