Bandits storm Kwara village, killing 35 in deadliest 2026 assault

At least 35 people were killed late on Tuesday when armed bandits stormed Woro village, a remote community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, in what has been described as the deadliest attack in the area so far in 2026.

The attack, reported by Saidu Baba Ahmed, a member of the Kwara state House of Assembly, involved gunmen shooting residents and setting houses and shops on fire, Reuters reported on Wednesday.

Many villagers reportedly fled into surrounding bushland to escape the violence, leaving several residents missing.

The incident highlights growing insecurity in north-central Nigeria, where banditry—once largely concentrated in the northwest—has begun spreading to new regions.

Reuters reported that the attack caught residents off guard, forcing many to run for their lives.

The scale of the attack has intensified concerns over insecurity in areas of Kwara previously considered relatively safe.

Banditry in Nigeria has evolved over the past decade, shifting from the northwest to north-central states such as Niger, Kebbi, and now parts of Kwara.

As of Wednesday, the Kwara State Government and federal security agencies had not released an official statement on the Woro attack.

The Woro attack is the latest in a series of violent incidents that have raised national alarm.

In November 2025, President Bola Tinubu postponed trips to both the 20th G20 Summit in South Africa and the 7th AU–EU Summit in Angola due to escalating insecurity in Kebbi and Kwara States.

Security experts warn that repeated assaults in vulnerable communities could trigger mass displacement and worsen humanitarian challenges in the region.

In November, Tinubu directed the immediate withdrawal of police officers attached to Very Important Persons (VIPs) across the country, ordering that these personnel be redeployed to core policing duties.

The decision was announced after President Tinubu met with the police, Air Force and army chiefs, as well as the Director-General of the Department of State Services (DSS).

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