Feb 05, Kathmandu - President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has ordered the immediate deployment of an army battalion to bolster security in the country after gunmen killed 162 people in Nigeria’s Kwara state.

The attack on the village of Woro on Tuesday night followed a recent military operation against “terrorist elements” in the area. The gunmen set fire to shops and the home of a traditional ruler, while the wounded fled into the bush, said Babomo Ayodeji, the Kwara state secretary of the Red Cross.

Ayodeji said the death toll had now reached 162 and that more bodies were being recovered. Police confirmed the attack, but the number of casualties was not immediately clear.

Local lawmaker Saidu Baba Ahmed said initial figures put the number of dead at 35-40, but that more bodies could be found as the wounded fled. Kwara state governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq had put the death toll at 75.

Reports of the attack in rural areas have often been contradictory. No group has claimed responsibility, but the state government has blamed “terrorist funds” while Tinubu has blamed the Boko Haram group. Parts of Nigeria are plagued by armed gangs involved in village looting, kidnapping and extortion, inter-communal violence and jihadist groups active in the north.

Deploying troops, President Tinubu condemned the “savage attacks” on villagers who reject the jihadist ideology. In a statement, the president expressed outrage that the attackers killed members of the community.

Gunmen attacked the village of Boro at 6pm (1700 GMT) on Tuesday, setting fire to shops and the king’s palace, said lawmaker Ahmed. In a separate attack in northern Katsina state, 27 “terrorists” were killed in airstrikes, while 23 civilians are suspected to have been killed, according to a United Nations security report.

The whereabouts of the traditional king of Woro were unknown, but Red Cross officials named him as Alhaji Salihu Umar. Nigeria has many traditional kings, emirs and rulers who, while not holding political office, wield considerable local and cultural influence.

The military has stepped up its campaign against jihadists and armed bandits. Last month, the military launched a “sustained coordinated offensive against terrorist elements” in Kwara state, and local media reported that the military had neutralized 150 bandits, rendering them incapable of posing a security threat. The military said in a statement on January 30 that it had attacked remote security camps, destroying abandoned camps and supply lines.

Jihadist attacks had increased in the past year. The al-Qaeda-linked group JNIM claimed responsibility for the first attack in Kwara state, and the group is based in Niger, Nigeria’s northern border. According to researcher Brant Phillip, the latest raid took place near the site of an attack by JNIM in October, suggesting a “direct overlap” and a loose alliance between JNIM and Boko Haram.

In response to the security concerns, Kwara state imposed a curfew in some areas and closed schools for several weeks. They were later ordered to reopen on Monday.

The country’s insecurity has come under intense scrutiny after US President Donald Trump accused Nigerian Christians of a “genocide.” But the Nigerian government and independent experts have rejected the claim, saying both Christians and Muslims have been killed in the violence, often indiscriminately.