No less than 170 residents have been k!lled in Woro, a remote community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, following a brutal attack by suspected Boko Haram terrorists.
The assault, which lasted several hours from Tuesday evening into the early hours of Wednesday, came about five months after the terrorists allegedly wrote to the district head of the community, informing him of their intention to visit Woro for preaching, residents and community leaders have said.
Residents told Premium Times that the gunmen stormed the village around 5pm on Tuesday, firing sporadically, setting houses ablaze and abducting an undisclosed number of women and children.
While earlier reports quoted a casualty figure of about 40, residents said the d3ath toll rose significantly after a coordinated search operation.
A resident who spoke from hiding disclosed that a search-and-rescue team, escorted by soldiers and forest guards, counted at least 170 bodies by Wednesday afternoon.
“They counted 170 this afternoon,” the resident said, requesting anonymity for security reasons.
Among the victims was Salihu Ibrahim, a former students’ union leader of the Kwara State College of Nursing, Ilorin.
Another resident, who fled into a nearby forest, said the attackers razed houses, shops and the palace of the district head, Salihu Umar, who is currently missing.
“They also stole his Jeep and used it to transport some of the kidnapped victims into the forest,” the source said.
He added that many residents were still hiding in surrounding bushes as of Wednesday.
“We have been in the bush since yesterday. The gunfire continued until this morning,” he said.
Woro is located on the fringes of the Kainji National Park, a vast forest reserve spanning over 5,300 square kilometres, which has increasingly become a hideout for armed groups.
While Ansaru, locally known as Mamuda, has operated in the area since around 2020, Boko Haram fighters reportedly moved into the forest in July 2025.
A community leader in Kaiama, who spoke on conditions of anonymity, revealed that the terrorists had earlier sent a letter to the district head of Woro, informing him of their intention to visit the community.
The district head reportedly forwarded the letter to the Kwara State Emirate Council in Ilorin, which requested the deployment of soldiers to the area.
Although troops were initially deployed, they later withdrew after weeks without incident.
“The fighters later moved to Baburasa, a neighbouring community, where they preached about three weeks ago,” the source said.
“They even mentioned communities they planned to attack, but they did not mention Woro.”
The leader suggested that Woro may have been targeted because the district head alerted authorities.
“As of now, we do not know the whereabouts of the district head,” he added.
Efforts to obtain comments from the Kwara State Police Command were unsuccessful as of press time.
Similarly, the Nigerian Army is yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
However, Al Jazeera reported that the police confirmed the attack and said military operatives had been deployed to the area, though casualty figures were not disclosed.
The Woro massacre comes barely one month after Boko Haram fighters attacked Kasuwan Daji in Niger State, k!lling over 30 persons and abducting women and children.
The same faction was also linked to the abduction of over 300 students from St Mary’s Catholic School in Papiri, Niger State.
Security sources said the faction relocated to the Kainji axis following sustained military airstrikes and internal conflicts with bandit leader Dogo Gide, with whom it previously collaborated.
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