No fewer than 170 people have died in an attack by bandits on Woro Village in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.
The lawmaker representing Kaiama in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Saidu Ahmed, confirmed the death toll on Wednesday, February 4, 2026.
Ahmed, who shared pictures of dead bodies with Reuters, disclosed that villagers fled into the surrounding bushland as the gunmen attacked the community on Tuesday night.
“As I’m speaking to you now, I’m in the village along with military personnel, sorting dead bodies and combing the surrounding areas for more,” Ahmed said.
He added that several people were still missing on Wednesday.
Residents also disclosed that the gunmen, thought to be jihadists who often preached in the village, demanded that locals ditch their allegiance to the Nigerian state and switch to Sharia, Islamic law.
When the villagers pushed back, the militants opened fire during Tuesday’s sermon.
The Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyem, said the police and military have been mobilised to the community for a search-and-rescue operation, but declined to provide casualty details.
