170 Killed as Terrorists Overrun Kwara Communities
The terrorists attack Kwara community has plunged Nigeria’s North Central region into mourning after armed militants killed at least 170 residents during a brutal assault on Woro and Nuku villages in Kaiama Local Government Area on Tuesday evening. The coordinated invasion ranks as one of the deadliest attacks recorded in the area this year and has triggered renewed concerns over security failures in remote border communities.
Local authorities confirmed that the attackers, identified as members of the Lakurawa terror group, stormed the villages during an evening gathering and demanded that residents submit to their extremist ideology. When community leaders resisted, the gunmen opened fire, executing villagers at close range and abducting several others, including women, children, and the community’s traditional ruler.
Eyewitness accounts indicate that the militants rounded up surviving residents, tied their hands, and shot them in groups before setting houses ablaze. Hundreds of homes were destroyed, while food stores, livestock, and valuables were looted. Lawmaker Saidu Baba Ahmed, who represents the affected communities, described the scene as a “coordinated massacre carried out with chilling precision.”
The remoteness of Kaiama worsened the tragedy. Humanitarian responders say the villages are several hours away from Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, delaying emergency medical care. Injured survivors were reportedly forced to flee into surrounding forests, where they remain exposed to hunger, untreated wounds, and the risk of further attacks.
Security analysts link the Lakurawa group to extremist networks operating across the Sahel, with growing activity along Nigeria’s borders following political instability in neighboring Niger Republic. Despite recent military operations in the region, the scale of the killings has exposed serious gaps in intelligence and sustained security presence.
Amnesty International faulted authorities for failing to act on early warnings, noting that residents had reportedly alerted security agencies about threats and extremist sermons in the area months before the attack. Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq condemned the killings, describing them as a desperate act by terrorists under pressure from ongoing military offensives.
In response, the Federal Government has ordered a security lockdown across forest corridors linking Kwara, Niger, and Kebbi states. The Nigerian Air Force has also been directed to intensify aerial surveillance to locate fleeing militants and rescue abducted victims.
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As mass burials begin in Woro and Nuku, the terrorists attack Kwara community has reignited national debate over Nigeria’s rural security strategy. Residents and rights groups are calling for permanent security deployments in vulnerable border settlements, warning that without sustained protection, more communities could face similar devastation.