EXCLUSIVE: After Boko Haram Massacre In Woro, Neighbouring Kwara Communities Cry Out Over Lack Of Security

SaharaReporters’ visits to the Kali, Baburasa, and Gada Oli communities near Woro on Monday and Tuesday highlighted escalating fear among residents.

Residents of several rural communities in Kwara State have raised fresh alarm over what they described as total absence of security presence, weeks after suspected Boko Haram terrorists killed more than 200 people in neighbouring Woro community.

SaharaReporters’ visits to the Kali, Baburasa, and Gada Oli communities near Woro on Monday and Tuesday highlighted escalating fear among residents.

The villagers accused the state government of abandoning them despite intelligence reports that the terrorists responsible for the Woro massacre are still hiding in nearby forests.

Ibrahim Hammad, the village head of Baburasa said: “Regarding security, we don’t have adequate security here. We don’t have full security in this community. There is no force protecting us.”

According to him, the absence of security personnel made nearby communities easy targets for terrorists.

“It was this same lack of security that made the attack on Woro very easy for them,” Hammad said. “We are begging the government to please bring security to our community. Sometimes they deploy security operatives, but they leave without even spending a full day.”

Residents told SaharaReporters that since the massacre, fear has gripped the entire area, forcing many families to consider fleeing their ancestral homes.

A farmer in Kali village, who identified himself simply as Musa, said villagers now abandon their farms before sunset.

“We no longer go far into our farms,” he said. “Once it is evening, everybody rushes home because we don’t know when they will come. We heard gunshots during the Woro attack and since then nobody sleeps peacefully again.”

Another resident said women and children are the most traumatized, as they have learned that hundreds kidnapped in Woro are still unrescued and enduring hardship in the forest.

“Our children always express fear whenever they hear any sound or see any strange moment,” the resident said.

“We sleep with one eye open. Some families even relocate to Kaiama and even Ilorin because they are afraid. The Woro attack sent a strong signal that we are also not safe,” he added.

In Gada Oli community, a member of a local vigilante group disclosed that villagers rely mainly on locally made hunting tools for protection.

“How can we face terrorists with Dane guns and sticks?” he asked.

“They carry sophisticated weapons. If they choose to attack us today, nothing will stop them because there are no soldiers or police stationed here.”

An elder in the community, Sani, warned that residents fear a repeat of the Woro tragedy if urgent action is not taken.

“What happened in Woro is still fresh in our minds,” he said. “We saw people running with injuries, women crying and families wiped out. Now the same attackers are said to be inside the forest close to us, yet there is no security here.”

Several residents alleged that appeals to authorities have yielded little response, accusing officials of reacting only after attacks occur.

“The government always comes after people have died,” a resident added. “We don’t want condolences; we want protection before another any massacre happens.”

SaharaReporters had earlier reported that suspected terrorists launched a coordinated evening assault on Woro community between February 3 and 4, 2026, killing men, women and children indiscriminately in one of the deadliest attacks recorded in the country.

Among those reportedly killed were two wives of the Emir of Woro, several of his children, the Chief Imam, a school principal, a headmistress and returning students.

Security sources linked the assault to a Sadiku-led Boko Haram faction believed to maintain operational ties with terrorist networks operating across the Sahel region.

WATCH: After Boko Haram Massacre In Woro, Neighbouring Kwara Communities Cry Out Over Lack Of Security https://t.co/pW2mUTdHE8 pic.twitter.com/3FOduZh0xC

— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) February 20, 2026