At least 35 people were killed and multiple homes and shops burned in an attack on Woro, a remote village in Kwara State, officials said. Sa’idu Baba Ahmed, a local lawmaker, reported that 35–40 bodies were counted and that many residents fled into the bush. Police confirmed the incident but gave no official casualty figures, while the state government blamed "terrorist cells." The assault is the deadliest recorded in the district this year amid a wider rise in banditry across northwest and north-central Nigeria.
Deadly Attack in Kwara's Woro Village Leaves At Least 35 Dead; Homes and Shops Torched
Residents inspect the damage after US forces had launched a strike against ISIL fighters in Kwara State, Nigeria, on December 26, 2025. [File: Abdullahi Dare Akogun/Reuters]
Armed attackers killed at least 35 people and set homes and shops ablaze in Woro, a remote village in north-central Nigeria's Kwara State, officials said.
“This morning, I was told that 35 to 40 dead bodies were counted,” said Sa’idu Baba Ahmed, a local lawmaker for the Kaiama area, speaking to AFP. “Many others escaped into the bush with gunshots,” he added, warning that more bodies might yet be discovered.
Villagers fled into surrounding bushland during the assault, Ahmed told Reuters by phone, and several residents remain missing. Local and state authorities have confirmed the attack, though police did not immediately provide an official casualty figure.
The Kwara State government attributed the assault to what it described as “terrorist cells.” The incident is reported to be the deadliest attack so far this year in the district that borders Niger State, a region that has seen a rise in raids by armed gangs.
Banditry and armed raids on rural communities have surged across northwest and north-central Nigeria in recent years, with gangs frequently raiding villages, kidnapping residents and looting livestock. Further details, including an exact toll and information on any security or humanitarian response, remained limited as officials continued to assess the situation.
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