At least 75 people have been killed and several villages destroyed after armed bandits launched a prolonged attack on Woro community in Kwara State, the village head, Umar Bio Salihu, disclosed on Thursday. The assault reportedly lasted for about 10 hours before security forces arrived.
Speaking on ARISE Television, Salihu said the attackers struck around 5pm, but soldiers only arrived at approximately 3am the following day.
“I called after 5pm, but they did not come until about 3am. That was from 5pm to about 3am. That is about 10 hours,” he said. By the time troops arrived, the bandits had already left, and no air interdiction was carried out during the attack.
Salihu noted that the community had been left vulnerable after a military base previously stationed there was withdrawn following an earlier attack on soldiers.
“Initially, we had a military base there. We had about 15 soldiers there. About three to five months ago, they attacked the soldiers. Since then, they have evacuated them. We have no security presence in that area,” he said. “That gave them the opportunity to come anytime, enter anytime and do whatever they like.”
The attackers were identified as members of the Mamuda terrorist group. Salihu said the assault was in retaliation against the community’s refusal to adopt the group’s ideology. “Our people are not ready to accept that ideology. I think that is what made them angry to come and attack the communities,” he said.
He dismissed claims that the killings were religiously motivated, noting that most victims were Muslims. “About 95 per cent are Muslims and five per cent are Christians,” he added.
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Salihu also revealed that he had earlier reported a threat letter from the attackers to security agencies, but a possible lapse in communication may have contributed to the delayed response. “When they brought the letter, they brought it directly to me. That night, I sent the letter to the DSS in Kiama. The following day, I took the letter myself to the Emirate Council. They photocopied it. In that process, I think they lost the appropriate contact,” he said.
The village head confirmed that many bodies are still being recovered from the bush, and warned that the death toll could rise further. Several villages were razed during the attack, including his own home. “They burned almost half of the villages, including my house,” Salihu said.
Following the attacks, Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq visited the affected communities and ordered the immediate deployment of security personnel.
President Bola Tinubu had earlier approved the deployment of an Army battalion as part of a new counter-offensive operation, as troops and forest guards moved into the communities to restore security.
The Woro attacks come amid renewed violence across parts of north-central and north-west Nigeria, highlighting persistent security challenges and the vulnerability of rural communities to armed groups.