- Locals were locked in their rooms, others in the Church and burnt beyond recognition – Village Head of Woro, Umar Salihu
- “We buried 178 bodies.” – Local, Abdulkarim Muhammed
- Military authorities have deployed troops to restore security and stability
- Humanitarian organisations on the ground are offering immediate relief materials
- Locals are calling for more humanitarian interventions
The recent carnage in Woro village of Kaiama Local Government Area (LGA) of Kwara State in Central Nigeria has left behind injured survivors who are nursing their wounds with a horrible memory of shock and a hell on earth.
The Woro community in Kwara State came under heavy fire when terrorist raided the village, according to eyewitness accounts.
The bandits came in their numbers, three-in-one, on motorbikes, wearing army camouflage, but covering their heads with headgears, and descended on the community.
They started shooting sporadically and picked up anybody they saw; then they tied their hands behind their backs and abducted them.
The Village Head of Woro, Umar Salihu, blamed the attack on the withdrawal of security from the community after the letter of notice of their coming was issued, insisting that, that was what allowed the bandits to operate freely for 10 hours unabatedly.
The Village Head, who also lost his two sons while his other wife was abducted with three children, his house burned to ashes during the unfortunate development.
He was emotionally moved and struggled to respond to questions while speaking on News Central Breakfast Xtra.
Bodies of victims of Kwara attack. Credit: Samuel James, Illorin
“There are some that were buried according to Christian rites; there are some that were affected who are not from that community; they have to take them to different locations.
“There are some that were burnt down in the Church; some they locked inside their rooms and set them on fire. In fact, those who burned inside the rooms and the Church, we cannot even identify some. We cannot even count the number of people who were burned down,” he stated.
Salihu said before the deadly attacks, the terrorists sent a letter of notification of their coming to preach in the community and adequate deployment of security personnel was made, a step which only delayed the evil day as they struck shortly after the withdrawal of the soldiers.
Handwritten screenshot of the letter 1 sent to the chief of Woro village. Credit: News Central
“I received the notification on the 10th of January 2026, around 7:45, when the Hakimi of one small village about 4 kilometres away from my community.
Handwritten screenshot of the letter 2 sent to the chief of Woro village. Credit: News Central
According to him, he was abducted and forced to bring the letter, or they would kill him, and that is why the Hakimi brought the letter to me.
“When the letter got to me, immediately, I sent it to the DSS in our local government headquarters through WhatsApp. The following day, I took the letter to the Emirate Council and the Emirate Council.
“They wrote in the letter that they were coming to preach. That is the content of the letter, but there was no date, [and] no time; they just said they’re coming to preach and that is it.
Mass grave of the victims. Credit: Samuel James, Ilorin
“Initially, we have soldiers that are staying there; the bandits came over the night, and there was a gun exchange between the army and the bandits. Since then, they took away the soldiers, and that place remained open. There was no security presence and that is why they came and spent almost 10 hours doing whatever they liked,” he said with a cracked voice.
Local sources told Advocatus Africa that 23 Christians were buried in one of the mass graves as the Woro community has suddenly turned into a mass grave site in the central part of Nigeria.
Umar Alihu is a resident of Woro. He participated in the burial of some victims of the deadly attacks.
He shared his experience thus: “This is where we did the mass burial because of resources; we buried 50 bodies; then the other 27. There are two graveyards, one for the Christians and the other one over there, aside from this one,” he explained.
Abdulkarim Muhammed narrowly escaped the bandits who were rushing on motorbikes wearing army camouflage, with a three-in-one passenger who at first mistook them for security personnel.
“When I saw motorbikes en masse coming with three-three people in army uniforms, all of them with an AK-47, they were on a speed race and passed me. I was wondering, are these soldiers? Until I saw one with a headgear. They tied it on their head. And, I said, these must be bandits, and I had to run and hide.
“In fact, they started chasing people, catching people and tying people’s hands behind their backs and putting them on the ground in layers. For like 30 minutes, we started hearing executing gung shots; they were shooting them on their heads.
“One of my sons is among those abducted, and my friend has been killed; in my family alone, 12 people were killed. So, we buried 178 bodies,” Muhammed narrated.
Prayers being offered ahead of the burial of those killed. Credit: Samuel James, Ilorin
Meanwhile, Brigadier General Nicholas Rume says troops have been deployed to the Woro community in Kwara State following the attack to restore security and stability, adding that the National Emergency Management Agency is also on the ground to assist victims for immediate relief.
Advocatus Africa gathered from locals that the humanitarian organisation, the Red Cross, has arrived in the Woro community with immediate relief materials to cushion the effects of the unfortunate development.
Meanwhile, locals are calling for more humanitarian interventions as well as the safety of the area and other communities in the local council.
It’s unfortunate that country has turned into burial ground.
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