Residents of Woro community in Kaiama are gripped by fresh fears after reports emerged of an explosion on Monday morning that reportedly claimed multiple lives.
A community source who spoke to SaharaReporters said the blast occurred in the early hours, throwing the already traumatised community into panic.
“There was an explosion around Woro this morning. The explosion claimed lives, number of lives lost not certain. A car drove over an IED (Improvised Explosive Device). We believe it was planted by Boko Haram members,” the source said.
According to SaharaReporters, efforts to independently verify the exact number of casualties were ongoing at the time of filing this report.
However, another resident, Aliyu Yahuza, confirmed the incident, reinforcing fears that the community remains under sustained threat from armed groups.
Efforts by SaharaReporters to obtain comments and updates from the state police command spokesperson, DSP Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, were unsuccessful.
The latest development comes amid an ongoing security crisis in Woro, where suspected Boko Haram terrorists had earlier carried out a de@dly invasion, k!lling dozens of residents and abducting at least 176 people, including women, children and a nursing mother.
The terrorists later demanded a staggering N20 million ransom per victim, while negotiations with the Kwara State Government reportedly stalled due to disagreements over payment.
Sources familiar with the situation had disclosed that the government was unwilling to meet the demands, leading to a deadlock, with no clear rescue operation in place.
Families of the abducted victims have continued to express deep frustration over the prolonged silence from both the government and the terrorists, fearing that some captives may have d!ed in the bush due to hunger, illness and lack of medical care.
“We are living in fear every day,” one relative recently told SaharaReporters. “We don’t know whether our people are alive or de@d.”
The community has remained in a state of distress since February 2026, when heavily armed attackers stormed Woro, k!lling indiscriminately and setting buildings, including the Emir’s palace, ablaze.
Among those k!lled in the earlier attack were two wives of the Emir, several of his children, the Chief Imam, a school principal, a headmistress, and students who had just returned from school.
The attackers also reportedly abducted scores of residents and travellers, later parading them in a disturbing video while accusing the Kwara State Government of downplaying the scale of the abduction.
Despite assurances from the state government that efforts were ongoing to secure the release of the victims, no major breakthrough has been announced.
The latest explosion has now heightened concerns that the terrorists may be escalating their attacks, even as communities in Kwara North continue to face growing insecurity.
