BREAKING: Informants and Jihadists Turn Woro Village Into Killing Field, 162 Feared Dead

Residents of Woro community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State went to bed last Tuesday unaware they would wake up to mass graves.

At dusk, the village remained alive with its usual routines – farmers returning from the fields, shop owners closing their stalls, families preparing evening meals. By dawn, Woro had been reduced to ashes, tears and silence.

A group of jihadists stormed the community in what survivors described as a coordinated invasion, unleashing hours of violence that left scores dead and dozens missing.

By Wednesday afternoon, the death toll stood at 162, while several residents were still unaccounted for and others abducted.

A local resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attackers were not strangers to the community.

According to him, the bandits had previously visited Woro under the guise of preaching, urging residents to renounce the Nigerian Constitution and embrace their ideology.

It was gathered that early last month, the group reportedly sent a letter to the village head, Alhaji Umar Saliu Tanko, informing him of their intention to hold another sermon and requesting that residents assemble.

Uncomfortable with earlier sermons, the village head reportedly alerted security agencies.

A local government official said soldiers and security agents were deployed to the venue on the appointed day with the intention of arresting the group.

“On sighting security agents from afar, they retreated. From that day, they planned the invasion,” the official said.

The bandits later allegedly sent a voice note to the village head, accusing him of attempting to set them up and vowing to wipe out the community.

Although the threat was reported, no specific date was mentioned until the Tuesday attack.

Residents said more than 50 gunmen invaded Woro around 5pm on Tuesday, killing indiscriminately and setting houses, shops and offices ablaze.

“They know the terrain. From one street to another, they went killing people. In some cases, they entered houses to kill. They burnt shops and houses with people inside,” a resident told Vanguard.

While official figures from the governor and local government chairman confirmed 75 bodies physically counted, residents insisted the actual toll was far higher.

“There are others killed in the bushes and some burnt beyond recognition inside their homes. As of Thursday afternoon, more corpses were still being recovered after Wednesday’s mass burial,” the resident added.

The attackers reportedly returned in the early hours of Wednesday, ambushing residents heading to early morning prayers and killing several more.

Grave diggers were said to have worked through tears, burying victims in quick succession.

Chairman of Kaiama Local Government Area, Alhaji Abubakar Abdullahi Danladi, described the scene as horrifying when he addressed Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq during a visit on Wednesday.

“It’s disheartening. What we saw was like a horror film. There were still several corpses in the bushes. We have counted seventy-five corpses so far,” he said.

He alleged the presence of informants within the community, claiming the attackers went directly to the village head’s house, killed his children and abducted family members.

“The vigilantes tried to fight back, but their weapons had no effect. The bandits went after them and burnt them to ashes. I’m a medical personnel, but I have never seen the magnitude of such horrific corpses,” he lamented.

The Emir of Kaiama, Alhaji Omar Muazu, said 75 victims had been identified and given mass burial but warned that the figure could rise.

“This excludes those taken away and those still in the bush. The figures are likely to go up,” the monarch said.

He called for the establishment of a permanent military base in Woro and expressed concern that criminals were hiding within forests near the National Park.

Forty-eight hours after the attack, Woro remained largely deserted. Burnt homes stood where families once lived, and soldiers and forest guards patrolled empty streets as displaced residents stayed away in fear.
Arewa Group Condemns Attacks

Meanwhile, the Arewa Discussion Group (ADG) condemned the resurgence of terrorist attacks across northern states.

In a statement by its Chairman, Alhaji Maisudan Muhammed Bello (Tafidan Dutse), the group described the attacks in Kwara, Katsina and Kaduna as alarming.

“We are horrified by the recent wave of attacks and abductions,” the statement read.

The group criticised recent truces reportedly entered into with armed groups, describing them as a “farce” that had emboldened perpetrators.

“The time for mere condemnation is long past. We must move beyond rhetoric to concrete, effective and sustainable action,” the ADG added, calling for a total overhaul of the region’s security strategy. See More

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