Feb 4, 2026, 5:46 p.mFeb 4, 2026, 5:46 p.m
Police officers in the Nigerian capital Lagos. (Archive image, August 2024)Image: keystone
Gunmen have killed dozens of people in an attack in Nigeria. A local Red Cross representative reported information from the public that there could be more than 160 deaths. A local politician initially spoke of at least 35 deaths, but thought it likely that the number could rise.
The attack occurred on Tuesday evening in Kwara state, in the north-central part of Africa’s most populous state with more than 230 million people. Eyewitnesses said about 200 gunmen fired indiscriminately and set houses on fire in Woro and Nuku villages in Kaiama County.
Babaomo Ayodeji of the Nigerian Red Cross in Kwara said his organization had collected mixed information from the community. Some villagers spoke of up to 160 dead. Other reports initially cited lower casualty figures. Local politician Sa’idu Baba Ahmed from Kaiama put the death toll at between 35 and 40, but admitted the toll could rise as injured people fled into the bush.
Attack possibly retaliation for military action
The majority of Muslims from the Baruba ethnic minority live in the villages. The attackers are attributed to the Fulbe ethnic group, which is also predominantly Muslim. According to security authorities, they probably belong to armed gangs that are already believed to be responsible for attacks in Kwara and the neighboring state of Niger.
This could therefore be a retaliatory action after the military recently stepped up its actions against armed groups in the region. The USA had threatened consequences if Nigeria’s government did not get the attacks on Christians under control.
Christians and Muslims are victims of the land conflict
The Fulani (also known as Fulani or Peulh) are one of the largest ethnic groups in West Africa and are traditionally pastoralists spread across large parts of the region. For years there have been bloody conflicts in central Nigeria over grazing land and water, which are becoming scarce as a result of climate change, between Fulani herders and Muslim and Christian farming communities.
According to security authorities, armed gangs that are held responsible for attacks and kidnappings, as well as radical Islamist terrorist groups, are recruited from this environment. Criminal networks, arms trafficking and organized gang structures are playing an increasingly important role. At the same time, many young Fulani men increasingly see the gangs as the only option for making a living. (sda/dpa)