How Sahel-linked terror networks are spreading into Kwara’s border communities

At least 35 people have been killed in a deadly attack on Woro village in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, in what security analysts describe as a growing spread of Sahel-linked terrorist networks into Nigeria’s North-Central region.

The lawmaker representing Kaiama in the Kwara State House of Assembly, Saidu Baba Ahmed, confirmed the death toll on Wednesday, adding that several residents remain missing after fleeing into nearby bushes during the assault.

Security sources said the attack occurred at about 7:07 p.m. on February 3, when suspected fighters of Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) stormed the community, burning homes and shops and forcing residents to escape.

The attackers reportedly withdrew after spotting an approaching aircraft but are believed to be hiding in surrounding forests.

Analysts say the incident reflects a broader pattern of escalating terrorist activity across the North-West and North-Central zones, with violence increasingly affecting border communities near the Republic of Benin, particularly in Kwara and Niger states.

According to security experts, militants infiltrating from the Sahel have teamed up with local criminal groups, forming hybrid networks that combine ideological extremism with banditry.

Groups linked to JNIM/AQIM and the Islamic State Sahel are said to be competing for control of forest corridors and borderlands used as staging grounds for attacks.

Kaiama’s proximity to forested cross-border routes makes it especially vulnerable to the movement and concealment of mobile terror cells.

Once established, the groups exploit weak surveillance, local grievances, and illicit economies to sustain operations.

Observers say the destruction of homes and businesses in Woro was likely intended to displace residents, disrupt livelihoods, and signal the groups’ expanding reach beyond traditional conflict zones.

Security experts warn that the attack underscores a broader Sahelian security crisis creeping southward into Nigeria’s heartland, calling for stronger cross-border collaboration between Nigeria, Benin, and Niger to curb the growing threat.