At least 21 killed in Katsina as death toll across two states nears 200

At least 21 people were killed in Katsina state on Tuesday after gunmen attacked a rural community, bringing the number of people killed in violent assaults across Katsina and Kwara states to nearly 200 within two days.

Residents said the attackers moved from house to house, shooting victims during the Katsina assault. The attack reportedly shattered a six-month peace pact between the community and the armed group, though details surrounding the breakdown of the agreement remained unclear.

The Katsina attack followed a far deadlier assault in Kwara state, where suspected Boko Haram gunmen killed more than 160 people in Woro village, Kaiama Local Government Area, in one of the worst mass killings Nigeria has recorded in recent months.

The Red Cross said at least 162 people were confirmed dead, while a local lawmaker told Reuters the toll could be closer to 170.

“Reports now indicate that at least 162 people have been killed, and the search is ongoing,” said Babaomo Ayodeji, the Kwara state secretary of the Red Cross, according to AFP.

Residents said the attackers stormed Woro on Tuesday evening, opening fire and setting houses ablaze. Some villagers fled into nearby bushland, while others were unable to escape. An unspecified number of women and children were also abducted, residents said.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said the attack was linked to the community’s refusal to accept an attempt by extremists to impose a radical ideology.

In a video released by the state government, the governor said at least 75 residents were killed in two villages.

“This village refused to succumb to a perverted form of Islamic doctrine,” AbdulRazaq said. “Because they refused to change their faith, they were attacked and massacred.”

He described the killings as a “pure massacre,” distinct from earlier attacks that involved kidnappings or looting.

According to Premium Times, community leaders said the attackers had earlier sent a letter to the district head of Woro, Salihu Umar, notifying him of their intention to visit the area for religious preaching.

A community leader told the newspaper that the letter was forwarded to the Kwara State Emirate Council in Ilorin, which requested the deployment of soldiers. Troops were reportedly sent but later withdrew after no immediate threat materialised.

The attack later began around 5 p.m. on Tuesday and continued into the early hours of Wednesday, residents said.

Tinubu Reacts

In response to the killings, the presidency said President Bola Tinubu has ordered the deployment of an army battalion to Kaiama Local Government Area as part of a new military effort known as Operation Savannah Shield.

The president condemned the attack, describing it as “cowardly and beastly,” and said the gunmen targeted civilians who rejected violent extremism.

“It is commendable that the community members refused to be conscripted into a belief that promotes violence over peace,” Tinubu said in a statement.

He urged federal and state authorities to coordinate relief efforts for affected communities and vowed that those responsible would be brought to justice.

Nigeria has struggled for more than a decade with overlapping security crises involving jihadist groups, armed gangs and ethnoreligious violence. The latest attacks have renewed concerns that violence is spreading into areas previously considered relatively stable.