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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Carlos Mureithi and agencies

‘They killed my sons’: chief of Nigerian village where jihadists massacred hundreds recounts night of terror

A resident stands among burnt debris and damaged homes after the attack in Woro, Kwara state
A resident stands among burnt debris and damaged homes after the attack in Woro, Kwara state, on February 5, 2026. Photograph: Light Oriye Tamunotonye/AFP/Getty Images

The traditional chief of a village in western Nigeria where jihadists massacred residents earlier this week has recounted a night of terror during which the attackers killed two of his sons and kidnapped his wife and three daughters.

Umar Bio Salihu, the 53-year-old chief of Woro, a small, Muslim-majority village in Kwara state, said that at about 5pm on Tuesday the gunmen “just came in and started shooting”.

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