…In Kwara, the victims were “local Muslims who were brutally killed for refusing to surrender to extremists preaching a strange ideology.”
KWARA, NIGERIA- The iNews Times | More than 100 people were feared killed on Tuesday night following coordinated attacks on Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State by suspected Islamic extremists, while several others were killed in a separate bandit assault on Abande community in Kwande Local Government Area of Benue State.
The attacks, which occurred almost simultaneously across North-Central Nigeria, have renewed concerns over the spread of extremist and bandit violence into rural and border communities, despite ongoing military operations.
Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, later confirmed that at least 75 people were killed in the Kaiama attack. Speaking on Wednesday night at the palace of the Emir of Kaiama, the governor said the victims were “local Muslims who were brutally killed for refusing to surrender to extremists preaching a strange ideology.”
He disclosed that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had approved the immediate deployment of an Army battalion to the area to launch counter-offensive operations under a mission code-named Operation Savannah Shield.
Security sources believe the attack was carried out by Lakurawa, an armed group linked to the Islamic State Sahel Province, which is suspected to be expanding its presence across Nigeria’s border communities with Niger and Benin Republics. The development has intensified public scrutiny of the Federal Government’s counterterrorism strategy in the North-Central zone.
The lawmaker representing Kaiama Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Mohammed Bio, confirmed the attack to The iNews Times but said casualty figures remained uncertain due to conflicting reports from the affected communities.
“There are different figures,” Bio said. “Some say about 100 people were killed, others say more than that. What is clear is that there was massive loss of life. We are appealing to the Federal Government to urgently intervene to protect our people.”
Community sources told The iNews Times that the death toll may be higher than officially acknowledged, revealing that about 70 bodies were buried in a mass grave in Woro community on Wednesday afternoon.
Residents said the attackers had earlier visited villages in neighbouring Niger State, preaching that locals should abandon Nigeria’s constitution and adopt strict Islamic law. When the same message was brought to Woro and Nuku, some residents reportedly challenged the group.
“That was when the shooting started,” a source said. “They opened fire on the gathering and began shooting indiscriminately.”
Another resident disclosed that the group had earlier attempted to preach in Baburasa community in the Borgu axis but was rejected by the village head. Security analysts believe the attackers operate from forest hideouts around the Borgu–Kaiama corridor, an area increasingly linked to extremist sleeper cells.
Survivors recounted harrowing experiences. The head of Woro village, Alhaji Umar Tanko, told the Kaiama Local Government chairman, Alhaji Abubakar Danladi, that he lost his daughter and two sons during the attack, while his junior wife and two others were abducted.
“I was in my shop when they arrived,” Tanko said. “They shot my children and took my second wife away.”
Another resident, Razaq Abdulazeez, said he narrowly escaped with his family after seeing people fleeing toward the outskirts of the town. “Those who couldn’t run climbed trees to hide,” he said.
Reacting to the killings, the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly, Yakubu Danladi-Salihu, called for intensified military operations along the Niger border axis and urged communities to cooperate with security agencies. Senator Saliu Mustapha, representing Kwara Central, also called for the deployment of additional troops, describing the attack as a grim reminder of the need for vigilance and community collaboration.
The Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemned the killings as “despicable and inhuman,” warning that insecurity in the state required more than sympathy messages. The party called for decisive leadership and immediate humanitarian assistance for affected communities.
Meanwhile, soldiers and Forest Guards have taken over Woro and Nuku communities, local government officials confirmed. The state government, through the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said Governor AbdulRazaq mourned the victims and described the attack as a desperate act by terrorist cells frustrated by ongoing counterterrorism successes.
In Benue State, suspected bandits attacked Abande community in Mbaikyor Ward, Turan, Kwande Local Government Area, killing several people, including a mobile police officer. The attack occurred on a market day near the Cameroon border, triggering panic as assailants opened fire, looted stalls and set parts of the market ablaze.
Casualty figures remained disputed. While a former councillor, Akerigbe Lawrence, claimed about 17 people were killed, the Ter Kwande, His Royal Majesty Timothy Ayile, said six residents and one policeman died. The Benue State Police Command confirmed five fatalities, including a police officer.
Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned the attack, describing it as “an assault on our shared humanity,” and vowed that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.
The twin attacks come amid growing concerns over the escalation of banditry and extremist violence across North-Central Nigeria. Findings by The iNews Times indicate that about 271 people have been killed and 253 abducted in the past four weeks across Niger, Kaduna, Kwara, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara states.
Former Senate President and ex-Kwara governor, Bukola Saraki, described the Kaiama killings as a national emergency, warning that the scale of violence had exceeded the capacity of the state government and now required decisive federal intervention.
As residents bury their dead and security forces intensify operations, fear and uncertainty continue to grip rural communities, reinforcing calls for sustained federal action to halt the violence and restore lasting peace.
