Armed bandits launched a brutal overnight attack on the remote village of Woro in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, killing at least 35 people and setting homes and shops ablaze, according to local authorities and residents.

The assault occurred late Tuesday evening, around 6-7 p.m., when heavily armed gunmen stormed the community, shooting indiscriminately as panicked residents fled into surrounding bushland.

The attackers also torched buildings, including shops and reportedly the traditional ruler’s palace, leaving the king’s whereabouts unknown at the time of reporting.

Hon. Saidu Baba Ahmed, the lawmaker representing Kaiama in the Kwara State House of Assembly, confirmed the death toll had reached 35 by Wednesday morning, with many more residents still missing after escaping into the bush during the chaos.

Some sources described the attackers as terrorists possibly linked to groups spilling over from neighboring Niger State, amid rising insecurity in the border region.

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq condemned the incident as a “cowardly expression of frustration by terrorist cells” in response to ongoing counterterrorism operations in parts of the state.

Authorities have noted that the attack marks one of the deadliest incidents in Kwara this year, highlighting the persistent threat of banditry targeting isolated farming communities with killings, arson, and displacement.

Security forces are said to be reinforcing presence in the area, though initial reports indicate some discrepancies in early casualty figures, with some local accounts initially lower before bodies were recovered overnight.

The incident underscores the escalating violence in north-central Nigeria, where armed groups continue to exploit rural vulnerabilities despite government efforts to curb banditry and terrorism.

The Department of State Services (DSS) has arraigned former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), alongside his son, Abdulaziz Abubakar Malami, before the Federal High Court in Abuja on a five-count charge bordering on terrorism financing, aiding and abetting terrorism, and unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.

The defendants appeared before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik on Tuesday, February 3, 2026. According to the charge sheet marked FHC/ABJ/CR/63/2026, Malami alone faces Count One, accused of knowingly abetting terrorism financing sometime in November 2022 by refusing to prosecute suspected terrorism financiers whose case files were submitted to his office during his tenure as AGF.

In Counts Two to Five, both Malami and his son are jointly accused of engaging in conduct preparatory to committing acts of terrorism through the unlawful possession, without a valid licence, of a Sturm Magnum 17-0101 firearm, 16 Redstar AAA 5.20 live rounds of cartridges, and 27 expended Redstar AAA 5.20 cartridges at their residence in Gesse Phase II Area, Birnin Kebbi Local Government Area, Kebbi State, sometime in December 2025. The offences allegedly contravene provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, and the Firearms Act, 2004.

Both defendants pleaded not guilty to all counts when the charges were read to them in open court.

Following their pleas, prosecuting counsel for the DSS, Calistus Eze, urged the court to remand the defendants in DSS custody pending trial. Defence counsel, Shuaibu Aruwa (SAN), made an oral application for bail, informing the court that Malami had been in DSS custody for approximately two weeks and had attended the proceedings directly from the hospital.

Justice Abdulmalik declined the oral bail application, stating that the Federal High Court, as a court of record, required a formal written application. She ordered that both defendants be remanded in DSS custody and directed the defence to file a proper bail application.

The matter was adjourned to February 20, 2026, for the commencement of trial.

This development follows Malami’s earlier arrest by DSS operatives on January 19, 2026, shortly after he perfected bail conditions in a separate 16-count money laundering case filed by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), where he, his son, and wife faced related allegations.

The Federal Government has formally arraigned nine individuals on multiple terrorism-related charges in connection with the June 2025 attack on Yelwata community in Benue State, which claimed the lives of at least 150 people.

The defendants, including Lawal Mohammed Dono, Muhammadu Saidu, Haruna Abdullahi, and six others, appeared before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik and pleaded not guilty to all 57 counts contained in the amended charge sheet.

The charges, brought under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, include conspiracy to commit acts of terrorism, recruitment and mobilization of fighters, procurement and supply of weapons, financing terrorism, and aiding and abetting terrorist activities.

Prosecutors, led by Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), allege that the accused coordinated, financed, and directed the assault on Yelwata.

They are further accused of instigating and instructing Fulani youths from Nasarawa, Kwara, and Taraba States, as well as from Giza and surrounding villages in Nasarawa State, to carry out the attack.

The defendants reportedly procured the services of armed Fulani men from those locations to participate in the raid, which resulted in over 150 deaths and widespread destruction of homes and property in the community.

In addition to the terrorism counts, some of the suspects face separate charges under the Firearms Act for unlawful possession of prohibited firearms and ammunition.

During the proceedings, the court struck out the name of the sixth defendant from the original 10-person charge sheet following an application by the Attorney General.

The case has been adjourned for further hearing, with all nine defendants remanded in custody.

Details of the trial are expected to emerge as proceedings continue.