NEARLY two months after President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency on security in Nigeria, armed men stormed Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara state, on Tuesday, February 3, killing dozens of people in one of the deadliest attacks recorded this year.
Nearly 24 hours later, both the state government and police have only provided sketchy details on the attack.
Reports indicate that death toll from the massacre has gone up to about 170.
Villagers fled into surrounding bushland as gunmen rounded up residents, bound their hands, and executed many, according to a state lawmaker Sa’idu Baba Ahmed who spoke with Reuters on the incident.
Homes, shops, and the palace of the local king identified as Salihu Umar were set ablaze, and several people remain missing.
The ICIR also gathered that the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, NSCDC’s office in the community was set ablaze. However, there are no clues whether its officers were killed.
Although the authorities have yet to clarify how the attack occurred, the state police spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, explained that the police and military had been mobilised to the area for a search-and-rescue operation.
She declined to provide casualty figures, leaving many Nigerians without verified information. She did not respond to repeated requests by The ICIR on the casualties.
On his part, the state Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq described the attack as “a cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells following the ongoing counterterrorism campaigns in parts of the state” and offered condolences to affected families.
Beyond this, no further details have been provided on security measures, relief efforts, or steps to bring calm to the people in the area.
“Governor AbdulRazaq says the attack was apparently to distract the security forces who have successfully hunted down several terrorist and kidnapping gangs across many parts of the state.
“The governor expresses heartfelt condolences to Woro and Nuku communities on the sad incident, especially the families affected in the Tuesday attack,” the statement read.
The ICIR reached out to Rafiu Ajakaye, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, and Ibraheem Abdullateef, his Senior Special Assistant on Communication on the attack. They did not respond to enquiries.
The attack came on the heels of a troubling pattern of insecurity in Kwara. Data from the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data (ACLED) shows that between January and November 2025, 207 people were killed and 177 abducted across the state, with Ifelodun, Pategi, Kaiama, and Baruten LGAs accounting for nearly 80 per cent of fatalities.
Despite frequent reports of neutralising bandits and overtaking their camps, communities continue to experience attacks, abductions, and killings, with residents repeatedly displaced.
Recall that the Nigerian military claimed that its operations in the state neutralised over 150 bandits in recent weeks.
In a statement issued on February 1, troops of the 22 Armoured Brigade said they had destroyed bandit camps, rescued kidnap victims, and dismantled terrorist logistics networks across forested areas in the state.
According to Maureen Ogbuka, a captain and Acting Deputy Director of 2 Division Army Public Relations, the operations were conducted under the leadership of Chinedu Nnebife, a major general and General Officer Commanding 2 Division, and Nicholas Rume, a brigadier general and Commander of 22 Brigade.
The military said its troops had stormed remote and previously inaccessible camps, neutralised terrorists, destroyed hideouts, and intercepted fleeing elements, significantly degrading the bandits’ operational capacity.
However, many have said that the latest attack exposed glaring gaps in the government’s security measures despite the emergency declared by Tinubu, which included the recruitment of new police officers, deployment of additional army personnel, and the use of NYSC camps for crash training.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M