Nearly 200 people were killed when armed men launched coordinated attacks on remote villages in western and northern Nigeria, authorities and residents said on Wednesday (4 February). Officials described the assaults as among the deadliest this year, amid the country’s worsening security crisis.
The heaviest attack struck the villages of Woro and Nuku in Kwara state on Tuesday evening, where gunmen killed at least 170 people, according to local lawmaker Sa’idu Baba Ahmed and a Red Cross official, as security forces searched for survivors and missing residents.
Ahmed said the attackers rounded up villagers, bound their hands and executed them, before burning homes, shops and the residence of the traditional ruler.
“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,” he told the reporters.
Police confirmed that “scores” of people were killed but declined to give a final figure, saying search-and-rescue operations were still under way. Several residents, including the village’s traditional king, remained unaccounted for.
Residents told press the attackers were jihadists who had previously preached in the area, demanding that villagers renounce allegiance to the Nigerian state and adopt sharia law. When villagers resisted, the gunmen opened fire, witnesses said.
In a separate attack the same day in Katsina state, armed men killed at least 13 people in Doma village, moving from house to house and shooting residents, police said. The assault shattered a six-month peace pact between local communities and armed gangs.
Rights group Amnesty International said the Kwara attackers had issued warning letters to villagers for months before the assault, calling the security failures that enabled the killings “unacceptable”.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq described the violence as retaliation for recent counter-terrorism operations, saying the attack reflected “the frustration of terrorist cells” under pressure from security forces.
According to local sources, Nigeria faces multiple overlapping security threats, including jihadist insurgencies linked to Islamic State affiliates, criminal gangs known locally as bandits, and intercommunal violence.
Officials say some of the attackers belong to the Lakurawa, an armed group operating along Nigeria’s border with Niger.
The attacks come as security cooperation with the United States intensifies. Nigeria’s defence minister confirmed that a small U.S. military team is currently in the country providing intelligence and training support, following recent joint operations and U.S. airstrikes on militant camps.
The Nigerian government has rejected claims by U.S. President Donald Trump that Christians are being specifically targeted, saying violence affects Muslims and Christians alike across Africa’s most populous nation.
Despite stepped-up military operations, residents across northern and central Nigeria say insecurity is spreading, with armed groups increasingly striking communities far from traditional conflict zones.
The United States and Argentina have signed a framework agreement to strengthen cooperation on critical minerals on Thursday (4 February), reaffirming...
Israeli tank shelling and airstrikes killed 24 Palestinians including seven children in Gaza on Wednesday (4 February), health officials said, the lat...
An explosion and fire erupted after a fuel-laden freight train derailed at Kochyetovka station in Michurinsk, Russia, on Tuesday (4 February), halting...
Ukrainian and Russian officials wrapped up a "productive" first day of new U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi, Kyiv's lead negotiator said on Wednesday ...
Nearly 200 people were killed when armed men launched coordinated attacks on remote villages in western and northern Nigeria, authorities and resident...
Nigeria has filed 57 terrorism-related charges against nine men accused of planning and executing a June 2025 attack in Benue state that killed about 150 people.
Nigeria’s army says troops have rescued 11 kidnap victims during a late-night operation on the Kaduna–Abuja highway after tracking militants moving captives through forested terrain.
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Bola Ahmed Tinubu to hold bilateral talks, attend signing ceremony, joint press conference.
Nigerian President Bola Ahmed Tinubu will embark on an official visit to Türkiye on Monday to bolster bilateral ties.
Cuba’s Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío has denied that Havana and Washington have entered formal negotiations, countering recent assertions by U.S. President Donald Trump, while saying the island is open to dialogue under certain conditions.
Talks with the U.S. should be pursued to secure national interests as long as "threats and unreasonable expectations" are avoided, President Masoud Pezeshkian posted on X on Tuesday (3 February).
Mexico said it will stop sending oil to Cuba as U.S. President Donald Trump ramped up pressure on the Caribbean nation.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia on Tuesday (3 February) of exploiting a U.S.-backed energy ceasefire to stockpile weapons and launch large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine ahead of peace talks.
Paris prosecutors have summoned X chairman Elon Musk and former chief executive Linda Yaccarino for questioning in April as part of their probe into the X social media network, they said on Tuesday.
The United States and Argentina have signed a framework agreement to strengthen cooperation on critical minerals on Thursday (4 February), reaffirming a shared commitment to building secure, resilient and competitive supply chains.
An explosion and fire erupted after a fuel-laden freight train derailed at Kochyetovka station in Michurinsk, Russia, on Tuesday (4 February), halting rail traffic and triggering a major emergency response, authorities said.
Ukrainian and Russian officials wrapped up a "productive" first day of new U.S.-brokered talks in Abu Dhabi, Kyiv's lead negotiator said on Wednesday (4 February).
Russia said on Wednesday that the parties to the New START nuclear arms control treaty are no longer bound by its obligations or related declarations, marking a further erosion of the last remaining legally binding framework limiting U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces.
Milan prosecutors have placed an elderly Italian man under investigation over allegations that foreigners paid to shoot at civilians during the 1990s siege of Sarajevo, sources with direct knowledge of the case said on Wednesday.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment