More than 100 armed jihadists dressed in army fatigues rode into the neighbouring Muslim villages of Woro and Nuku in Nigeria's western state of Kwara on motorbikes - driven by revenge. 'They came en masse in the name of religion, and they decided to kill our people,' Abdulla Umar Usman, a former teacher and resident of Woro, told the BBC, explaining how the attack, in which at least 75 people are so far known to have been killed, unfolded.
The mayhem started an hour before sunset on Tuesday as residents of the farming community were heading home from their fields, where they grow yams, maize, and millet. The militants headed straight to the home of traditional leader Umar Bio Salihu - because they had written to him asking if they could come and preach what is considered an extremist version of Islam, which the community did not welcome. Salihu was not at his home in Woro at the time, so they set his compound alight and killed two of his children.
'Two of the community head's children, who were medical students, were killed in front of the house before they set it ablaze,' Usman said. The jihadists then went on a killing spree that lasted all night. 'They massacred everyone. It is just devastating,' Mohammed Dauda, a local official, told the BBC.
Amnesty International said many of the dead had been found with their hands and feet tied - some had their throats slit, others had been shot dead. When the jihadists left in the morning, they took with them 38 women and children, including the rest of the traditional ruler's family. 'They killed two of my children and abducted my wife and three children,' Salihu told me.
The militants wanted residents to renounce the Nigerian government and its constitution and instead follow their teachings, effectively attempting to impose a parallel system of rule and government in the area. This was 'against what the Quran teaches,' Salihu said, referring to Islam's holy book. The Nigerian government has blamed Boko Haram for the attack - the jihadist group has not issued any statement about it, but they are known to be operating in the north-east of the country and have splintered into different factions.
The tragedy has left residents in a state of horror and grief, recounting the brutal realities of the attack and raising significant questions about the adequacy of local and national security measures in handling such threats.
The mayhem started an hour before sunset on Tuesday as residents of the farming community were heading home from their fields, where they grow yams, maize, and millet. The militants headed straight to the home of traditional leader Umar Bio Salihu - because they had written to him asking if they could come and preach what is considered an extremist version of Islam, which the community did not welcome. Salihu was not at his home in Woro at the time, so they set his compound alight and killed two of his children.
'Two of the community head's children, who were medical students, were killed in front of the house before they set it ablaze,' Usman said. The jihadists then went on a killing spree that lasted all night. 'They massacred everyone. It is just devastating,' Mohammed Dauda, a local official, told the BBC.
Amnesty International said many of the dead had been found with their hands and feet tied - some had their throats slit, others had been shot dead. When the jihadists left in the morning, they took with them 38 women and children, including the rest of the traditional ruler's family. 'They killed two of my children and abducted my wife and three children,' Salihu told me.
The militants wanted residents to renounce the Nigerian government and its constitution and instead follow their teachings, effectively attempting to impose a parallel system of rule and government in the area. This was 'against what the Quran teaches,' Salihu said, referring to Islam's holy book. The Nigerian government has blamed Boko Haram for the attack - the jihadist group has not issued any statement about it, but they are known to be operating in the north-east of the country and have splintered into different factions.
The tragedy has left residents in a state of horror and grief, recounting the brutal realities of the attack and raising significant questions about the adequacy of local and national security measures in handling such threats.
