Kwara Attacks: Residents Disclose Content of Letter Sent to Them Before Massacre
- Residents of Woro and Nuku in Kwara state said suspected jihadists sent a letter asking to preach before launching a deadly overnight attack
- At least 75 people were killed, while 38 women and children were abducted, including the family of the community head, Umar Bio Salihu
- Amnesty International and residents blamed a major security lapse, saying warnings were issued and troops visited briefly, but the attack still happened
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Legit.ng Journalist Muslim Muhammad Yusuf is a 2025 Wole Soyinka Award winner, with over 8 years of experience in investigative reporting, human rights, politics, governance and accountability in Nigeria.
Fresh details have emerged on the deadly attack carried out by suspected jihadist fighters in Woro and Nuku communities in Kaiama local government area of Kwara state, where residents said the assailants sent a letter to the community before launching the massacre.
Legit.ng reports that more than 100 residents of the Woro community in Kaiama local government area (LGA) of Kwara state have been killed following a deadly invasion by suspected terrorists linked to Boko Haram.
Source: UGC
Community sources who escaped the attack told Legit.ng in exclusive interviews on Wednesday, January 4, that the attackers stormed Woro on Tuesday evening, January 3, shooting sporadically, killing residents, and setting houses ablaze.
Residents recount letter sent before massacre
Survivors and local leaders said the attackers, described as more than 100 armed men, arrived on motorcycles and wore what appeared to be army fatigues, sparking fear and confusion as the assault began.
According to residents, the militants had earlier reached out to the community’s traditional head, Umar Bio Salihu, seeking permission to come and “preach” an extremist version of Islam.
However, community members said they rejected the request.
A former teacher and resident of Woro, Abdulla Umar Usman, told the BBC that the attackers later returned with deadly force.
Usman said the violence began about an hour before sunset on Tuesday, at a time when most farmers were returning from their fields where they cultivate yam, maize and millet.
He said the attackers headed straight to Salihu’s residence in Woro.
"Two of the community head's children, who were medical students, were killed in front of the house before they set it ablaze," Usman said.
"They massacred everyone. It is just devastating," Mohammed Dauda, a local official told the BBC.
"They killed two of my children and abducted my wife and three children," Salihu told me.
A local official, Mohammed Dauda, described the attack as devastating, saying the militants killed residents indiscriminately.
Amnesty speaks on Kwara killings
Human rights organisation Amnesty International said many victims were found with their hands and feet tied, adding that some were shot dead while others reportedly had their throats cut.
By morning, residents said the attackers left with 38 women and children, including members of the traditional ruler’s family.
Salihu, speaking on the tragedy, said he lost two children and his wife and three children were abducted.
“They wanted us to renounce Nigeria” — residents
Survivors said the militants demanded that the villagers renounce the Nigerian government and constitution and submit to their teachings, an attempt to impose a parallel system of rule in the area.
Salihu reportedly described the demand as contrary to Islamic teachings.
FG blames Boko Haram
The federal government has blamed Boko Haram for the attack, although the group has not issued a statement on the incident.
Boko Haram, which became globally known in 2014 after the abduction of over 200 schoolgirls from Chibok, remains active in the North-East, though it has splintered over the years.
One of its factions, identified as Mahmuda, is now believed to be operating in rural parts of Kwara and neighbouring Niger state.
Source: Original
Amnesty said the two communities had been receiving leaflets for about five months, with messages allegedly aimed at drawing residents into extremist ideology.
Amnesty International’s Nigeria director, Isa Sanusi, said the communities received pamphlets soliciting them to join the militants’ extremist views.
Vigilantes targeted, residents say
Woro and Nuku residents said their communities had previously been vulnerable to raids by criminal gangs commonly called bandits, leading many rural settlements to form vigilante groups.
However, locals said the attackers appeared to know the exact locations of the vigilantes and targeted them early in the assault.
Salihu said the militants attacked the vigilantes after burning his home, adding that about eight of them were killed.
Kwara attack: Mass burial of 78 people held
Legit.ng earlier reported that the Woro community in the Kaiama local government area of Kwara state was been thrown into deeper mourning after residents recovered 78 corpses following a deadly bandit attack on Tuesday.
According to reports, the bodies were recovered on Wednesday as locals continued searching the bush and surrounding areas for missing residents.
Kwara state: Tinubu takes action
Legit.ng earlier reported that President Bola Tinubu, on Wednesday night, February 4, ordered the deployment of an army battalion to Kaiama Local Government Area (LGA), Kwara state, where Boko Haram terrorists killed hapless villagers in Worro.
According to a statement by Bayo Onanuga, one of the presidential spokespersons, President Tinubu said the new military command will spearhead Operation Savannah Shield to checkmate the barbaric terrorists and protect defenceless communities.
Proofreading by Funmilayo Aremu, copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
