SOKOTO, NIGERIA — Armed militants have slaughtered at least 162 civilians in brutal attacks on two rural communities in western Nigeria, local authorities confirmed Wednesday, marking one of the most lethal waves of violence in the region this year.
Villages Targeted in Coordinated Strike
According to a regional lawmaker, the assaults unfolded late Tuesday as gunmen stormed the remote villages of Woro and Nuku in Kwara State, firing indiscriminately and leaving scenes of devastation in their wake.
The fatalities were confirmed by Kwara officials, though access to the affected areas remains limited due to their isolated location near the border with Benin, hampering humanitarian response efforts.
Local footage broadcast on television depicted bodies on the ground and structures engulfed in flames, intensifying concern over the scale of the carnage.
Militants Linked to Extremist Network
Authorities have attributed the raid to fighters associated with the Lakurawa group — a faction aligned with the Islamic State’s Sahel affiliate — though no group has publicly taken responsibility.
State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq denounced the onslaught as a “cowardly expression of frustration” by militants amid ongoing military counterinsurgency operations in the region.
This massacre compounds a broader security crisis in Nigeria, where Islamist insurgencies in the northeast and widespread kidnappings by armed gangs in northern regions have destabilized communities and strained government responses.
Broader Violence and Ongoing Threats
In a separate attack on the same day in northwestern Katsina State, at least 13 villagers were killed by unidentified gunmen, underscoring the persistent wave of violence across the country.
Analysts say various extremist factions, including Boko Haram offshoots and allied groups, continue to exploit weak governance and security gaps to carry out deadly operations against civilians and military targets.
