"Gunmen have killed at least 162 people in a village in Kwara state in western Nigeria, a Red Cross official has said, making it one of the deadliest attacks in recent months in the country, which has been plagued by interlinked security crises. Armed gangs, known locally as bandits, who loot villages and kidnap for ransom, operate in swathes of the country, while jihadist groups are active in the north-east and north-west."
"Reports said that the death toll now stands at 162, as the search for more bodies continues, said Babaomo Ayodeji, the Kwara state secretary of the Red Cross, updating the earlier toll of 67. Earlier, a local lawmaker in the Kaiama region, Sa'idu Baba Ahmed, said between 35 to 40 dead bodies were counted after the massacre on Tuesday evening in Woro village. The attack was confirmed by police, who did not provide casualty figures, and the state government, which blamed it on terrorist cells."
At least 162 people were killed in an attack on Woro village in Kwara state, with searches for more bodies ongoing. The Red Cross updated the toll from an earlier figure of 67. A local lawmaker counted 35 to 40 bodies immediately after the massacre. Police and the state government confirmed the attack and blamed terrorist cells. Gunmen invaded around 18:00, set shops and the king's palace ablaze, and many villagers fled into the bush; the traditional king's whereabouts are unknown. The governor described the attack as retaliation amid intensified military counter-terror operations claiming substantial neutralisations of fighters.
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