February 6, 2026 | 08:32 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - An armed group has killed at least 162 people in Kwara state, central-western Nigeria, in one of the deadliest attacks in the country in recent months, a Red Cross official said on Wednesday, as reported by the Bangkok Post.
The assault on Tuesday night struck the village of Woro following recent military operations targeting “terrorist elements” in the region. The gunmen set fire to shops and the palace of the village’s traditional ruler, identified as Alhaji Salihu Umar, whose current whereabouts remain unknown.
“Reports said that the death toll now stands at 162, as the search for more bodies continues,” said Babaomo Ayodeji, secretary of the Kwara State Red Cross, updating an earlier toll of 67.
A local lawmaker in the Kaiama area, Sa’idu Baba Ahmed, said between 35 and 40 bodies had initially been counted. “Many others escaped into the bush with gunshots,” he added.
The police confirmed the attack but did not provide a death toll, while the state government attributed the violence to “terrorist cells.”
Kwara Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq condemned the attack, calling it “a cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells following the ongoing counterterrorism campaigns in parts of the state.”
Military Campaign Against Armed Groups
Nigeria has faced a growing wave of armed violence in recent years. Central states like Kwara have been plagued by gangs raiding villages and kidnapping for ransom, while jihadist groups operate in the northeast and northwest.
The military has intensified operations against these armed groups, regularly reporting significant casualties among fighters.
Last month, it said a “sustained coordinated offensive operations against terrorist elements” in Kwara neutralized 150 bandits, destroyed remote camps, and disrupted their supply lines.
Authorities have also imposed curfews and temporarily closed schools in affected areas. Schools were ordered to reopen on Monday following the latest round of attacks.
The crisis has drawn international attention in recent months. US President Donald Trump claimed there was “genocide” against Christians in Nigeria, a charge rejected by the Nigerian government and independent experts, who note that violence in the country affects both Christians and Muslims indiscriminately.
Read: Malaysia Signals Opposition to Trump's Board of Peace Initiative
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