In Kwara, the bloodshed occurred on Tuesday in Woro village, Kaiama Local Government Area, where armed attackers stormed the community in what officials have described as the worst assault recorded in the state this year. The Kwara State Secretary of the Red Cross, Babaomo Ayodeji, confirmed on Wednesday that the death toll had reached 162, while a local political source told Reuters the figure could rise to about 170.

Accounts from residents and local leaders painted a grim picture. Sa’idu Ahmed, a politician from the Kaiama axis, said the assailants gathered villagers, bound their hands and killed them in cold blood, before torching homes and shops.

“I am in the village along with military personnel, sorting dead bodies and searching nearby areas,” Ahmed said.

He added that several villagers escaped into nearby bushes with gunshot wounds, while others, including the community’s traditional ruler, were still unaccounted for as of Wednesday. Survivors alleged that the attackers were jihadists who had previously visited the area to preach, demanding residents abandon loyalty to the Nigerian state and embrace Sharia law. According to witnesses, the gunmen opened fire during a sermon after villagers resisted the demand.

By Wednesday, the scale of the tragedy became more evident as at least 75 victims were laid to rest in a mass burial at Woro. A government official told Vanguard that, despite reports of higher casualties, “75 victims were given mass burial this afternoon (Wednesday).” The burial was attended by an official delegation led by Kaiama Local Government Chairman, Abubakar Danladi.

Survivors shared personal losses and narrow escapes. The village head of Woro, Umar Tanko, said he was not at home when the attack happened but lost close family members.

“I was away at my shop where I sell goods when an army of bandits arrived at my residence on Tuesday evening. My daughter and two sons were shot dead, while my second wife and two others were abducted,” he said.

Another resident, Razaq Abdulazeez, described how panic spread through the town.

“I was returning home from work when I saw many people running towards the outskirts of the town… I rushed to my house, packed my family members, and we escaped into the deep bush on the outskirts of the town,” he said, adding that some residents climbed trees to avoid being shot.

Among those killed was Salihu Bio Khalid, a midwifery student of the Kwara State College of Nursing Sciences (KWASCONS) and former Student Union Government president, who reportedly died alongside his brother. The National Association of Nigeria Comrades (NANC), Kwara Axis, described the killings as devastating and demanded justice and stronger security measures.

The Kwara State Government confirmed the incident in a statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, Rafiu Ajakaye. The governor mourned the victims, describing the attack as a cowardly act and attributing it to the desperation of terrorist cells facing sustained counterterrorism pressure. Lawmakers, including Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly Yakubu Danladi-Salihu and Senator Saliu Mustapha, called for intensified military operations and additional troop deployment. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state also condemned the killings and urged immediate humanitarian support for affected communities.

At the federal level, President Bola Tinubu was reported to have ordered the immediate deployment of troops to Kwara State late Wednesday night, although details of the directive were still emerging at the time of filing this report.

Meanwhile, violence also erupted on Tuesday in Benue State, where at least 17 people, including a Mobile Police officer, were reportedly killed when suspected armed herdsmen attacked Abande settlement in Mbaikyor Ward, Turan District of Kwande Local Government Area. The assailants struck during market hours, opening fire on traders and shoppers, looting stalls and setting parts of the Abande market ablaze.

A community leader and former supervisory councillor, Lawrence Akerigba, said the attackers made away with millions of naira before torching the market.

“Yesterday, (Tuesday) was Abande market day. People were buying and selling when the herders attacked,” he said, adding that bodies were later moved to Jato-Aka and that a Mobile Police unit commander was among those killed.

However, the Benue State Police Command confirmed fewer casualties. In a statement by spokesperson DSP Udeme Edet, police said one Assistant Superintendent of Police and four civilians were killed during the incident, noting that additional Mobile Force personnel and Armoured Personnel Carriers had been deployed on the orders of Commissioner of Police Ifeanyi Emenari.

Governor Hyacinth Alia condemned the Benue attack as a “cowardly act of terror.”

“My heart goes out to the peaceful people of Abande… This cowardly act of terror, which claimed innocent lives, including a gallant police officer, is an assault on our shared humanity,” he said, pledging intensified security operations.

The PDP in Benue described the attack as “gruesome and barbaric,” insisting that “credible reports indicate that no fewer than 17 persons were brutally killed.” Lawmaker Terseer Ugbor, representing Kwande/Ushongo Federal Constituency, linked the recurring violence to illegal mining activities, warning that failure to act could turn border areas of Benue, Taraba and Cameroon into major security flashpoints.