Abuja, February 5, 2026 — The Europe Today: Nigeria’s President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the deployment of an army battalion to Kwara State following a deadly attack by gunmen that left as many as 162 people dead, one of the country’s worst incidents of violence in recent months.
The attack occurred late on Tuesday in Woro village, shortly after the military conducted operations in the area against what it described as “terrorist elements,” according to media reports.
Gunmen reportedly set several shops and the residence of a traditional ruler ablaze, forcing wounded residents to flee into nearby bushes. Babaomo Ayodeji, the Kwara State secretary of the Red Cross, said the death toll had risen significantly as search and recovery operations continued.
“Reports said that the death toll now stands at 162, as the search for more bodies continues,” Ayodeji told the media.
Police confirmed the attack but did not provide an official casualty figure.
Earlier, local lawmaker Sa’idu Baba Ahmed said between 35 and 40 people were initially believed to have been killed, warning that the number could rise as many injured residents escaped into surrounding bushes. Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq later placed the death toll at 75.
Conflicting casualty figures are common following attacks in remote rural areas of Nigeria.
No group has claimed responsibility for the assault. While the Kwara State government attributed the violence to “terrorist cells,” President Tinubu blamed jihadists from Boko Haram.
Nigeria continues to grapple with widespread insecurity, including attacks by armed gangs involved in looting and kidnappings for ransom, intercommunal violence in central regions, and ongoing jihadist insurgencies in the north.
Announcing the deployment of additional troops to secure the affected area, President Tinubu condemned what he described as a “beastly attack” on villagers who had rejected extremist ideology.
“President Tinubu expressed rage that the attackers killed the community members who rejected their obnoxious attempt at indoctrination,” the presidency said in a statement.
According to lawmaker Ahmed, the gunmen entered Woro village at about 6:00 p.m. (1700 GMT) on Tuesday and set “shops and the king’s palace ablaze.”
In a separate incident on the same day in Katsina State, bandits were suspected of killing 23 civilians in retaliation for Nigerian air force operations that reportedly killed 27 suspected militants, according to a security report prepared for the United Nations.
