gunmen-massacre-162-in-western-nigeria

As many as 162 people were killed in coordinated gun attacks on the twin villages of Woro and Nuku in Kwara state, western Nigeria, in one of the deadliest incidents in recent months, officials said on Thursday.

Mohammed Omar Bio, a Member of Parliament representing the area, told reporters that the simultaneous assaults were carried out by Lakurawa, an Islamist armed group affiliated with the self-styled ‘Islamic State’.

The death toll rose rapidly from the initial 40 killed to 67, and then 100 on Wednesday, climbing further to 162 by Thursday morning.
Kwara Governor, Abdul Rahman Abdul Razaq, condemned the violence as a “cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells” in response to the ongoing military operation against armed extremists in the state.

Red Cross secretary in Kwara state, Ayodeji Emmanuel Babaomo, said that the organisation was unable to reach people until Thursday morning since the twin villages lie in a remote area about eight hours from the state capital, close to Nigeria’s border with Benin.

 

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In December, Kwara had come under fire from the United States after it conducted airstrikes targeting Islamic militants at the request of the Nigerian government.

Nigeria’s military has recently intensified operations against both Christian and Islamic militants in the region. Earlier last month, the government – supported by allies – launched “sustained coordinated offensive operations against terrorist elements” in Kwara state, claiming notable success.

Nigeria has experienced an intense wave of violence since the abduction of schoolgirls in early September last year. Security forces continue to struggle to maintain control over large portions of Africa’s most populous country - a challenge that has persisted for many years.

The country faces insurgencies and kidnappings by Islamic and Christian militants across the northeast, north and northwest regions.
In a separate incident in the northwestern state of Katsina on Tuesday, 23 people were killed by gunmen in Doma village as revenge for the military’s killing of 27 militants in the same area.