Nigeria has announced a new military operation to confront Islamist militants after one of the deadliest attacks outside the country’s traditional conflict zones left more than 160 people dead in central Kwara state, while authorities separately confirmed the release of scores of Christians abducted during church raids last month.
Local officials said at least 162 people were killed on Tuesday when gunmen attacked the predominantly Muslim villages of Woro and Nuku in Kwara’s Kaiama district. Homes were burned and shops looted in what residents described as a coordinated overnight assault. Amnesty International’s Nigeria office called the killings “a stunning security failure.”
No group has claimed responsibility, but residents and officials blamed Islamist militant factions operating across Nigeria’s north and central regions. In a statement late Wednesday, President Bola Tinubu’s office said the attackers targeted villagers for rejecting “their obnoxious attempt at indoctrination” and choosing to practice a form of Islam “that is neither extreme nor violent.”
Security analysts say the assault highlights the spread of militant violence into new areas. Kwara, long considered relatively calm, has recorded a sharp rise in attacks and kidnappings in recent months.
James Barnett, a researcher at the Washington-based Hudson Institute, said armed groups were under pressure in their traditional strongholds and were increasingly seeking new territory. “They are encountering competition from rival factions in areas they previously dominated, which is pushing them further afield,” he said.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq said the killings may have been a reprisal for recent counterterrorism operations in the region, some of which were enabled by intelligence from local communities. He warned that such attacks could also be aimed at intimidating residents into compliance with militant demands.
In response, the presidency said an army battalion would be deployed to Kaiama, an area that previously had only a limited security presence. The new deployment forms part of a broader military operation ordered by Tinubu to stabilise the district and protect vulnerable communities.
Abducted Christians freed in Kaduna
In a separate development, Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani said on Thursday that all 183 people abducted during coordinated attacks on churches last month had been released. He said 89 of the captives were freed on Wednesday, completing the return of all those taken.
The governor did not provide details on how the release was secured. Nigerian authorities often describe such outcomes as “rescues,” though analysts note that ransoms are sometimes paid, despite official denials.
Initial figures from local residents and advocacy groups at the time of the abductions had put the number of victims at 168.
Speaking at a public event, Sani said he had raised security concerns with President Tinubu and the national security adviser, urging the establishment of a military base near the Regina area, which he described as a long-standing flashpoint.
Nigeria has struggled for more than a decade with multiple security crises, including a jihadist insurgency in the northeast, banditry and mass kidnappings in the northwest and central regions, and growing militant activity in areas previously considered stable.
