February 8, 2026 l Dalena Reporters
A survivor of the deadly attack on Woro village in Kaiama Local Government Area, Kwara State, Nigeria has recounted harrowing details of the assault in which gunmen not only killed dozens of people but also set fire to homes with civilians inside, according to firsthand testimony published by Vanguard Nigeria.
In an account of the February 3–4 massacre, a shooting victim described how assailants surrounded the community and unleashed brutal violence, in what residents believed was a coordinated jihadist raid following the withdrawal of security forces three days earlier. The attackers used a letter falsely claiming they were there to preach to enter the village before erupting into widespread killing and arson.
The survivor recalled that young gunmen, some as young as about 15, fired indiscriminately, while older fighters torched homes and shops in Woro. “Those who tried to escape were pursued with motorbikes and gunned down in the bush,” he said, adding that several people who ran into their homes to hide were burnt to death inside when the buildings were set alight.
He himself was shot in the stomach but survived, saying his wife and children had escaped earlier and were on their way back to their home city of Jos after the attack.
Local findings suggest that following the initial encounter between community leaders and the militants which was reported to security agencies soldiers briefly deployed to Woro but left before the assault occurred. The bandits reportedly returned later with greater force, overwhelming villagers and setting homes ablaze.
Multiple news agencies and aid organisations have since described the Woro and nearby Nuku village attacks as among the deadliest in Nigeria’s recent history, with the death toll rising to at least 162 people according to humanitarian and government sources, and still unconfirmed numbers of missing persons.