Gunmen Kill Nearly 200 Civilians in Coordinated Attacks Across Nigeria

Around 200 civilians were killed in a series of coordinated attacks by gunmen in western and northern Nigeria, local officials and eyewitnesses said. Local lawmaker Saidu Baba Ahmed stated that at least 170 people were killed in the attack on the Woro community in the western Kwara State on Tuesday evening, calling it the deadliest attack in the region in recent months. Local residents reported that at least 21 people died after gunmen went house-to-house shooting in the northern Katsina State.

According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen rounded up villagers, tied their hands behind their backs, and then shot them dead. After the attack, they also set fire to houses and shops. Villagers fled to the bush and surrounding areas to save their lives. Lawmaker Ahmed said that a security team, including soldiers, reached the scene after the attack, and the collection of bodies and search for the missing are ongoing.

The Kwara police spokesperson only confirmed that many people died in the attack, without disclosing the exact number of fatalities. The police stated that search and rescue operations have been intensified. The security crisis in Nigeria is deepening due to the activities of rebel groups linked to Boko Haram and the Islamic State, as well as kidnapping for ransom in the northwest and north-central regions. No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attacks.