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At least 162 people have been killed in an armed attack on a village in Kwara State.
The attack makes it the deadliest assault reported in the country so far this year, according to a Red Cross official and local authorities.
The attack took place on Tuesday in Woro village. Babaomo Ayodeji, secretary of the Red Cross in Kwara State, said the confirmed death toll had reached 162 by Wednesday afternoon, according to AFP.
A local politician told Reuters the figure could be higher, estimating that as many as 170 people may have died.
Sa’idu Baba Ahmed, a politician from the Kaiama area, told Reuters that gunmen rounded up residents, tied their hands and shot them.
Baba Ahmed said homes and shops were set on fire during the assault.
He added that many residents fled into nearby bushland with gunshot wounds and that several people remain missing, including the village’s traditional ruler.
Residents said the attackers identified themselves as jihadists and had previously preached in the community, calling on villagers to renounce allegiance to the Nigerian state in favour of Sharia law.
According to residents, gunmen opened fire during a sermon after villagers resisted their demands.
Nigerian police have confirmed that the attack occurred but have not released official casualty figures.
The murders were also denounced by Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, who called them “a cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells” in response to the state’s stepped-up security measures.
