Crime
Kwara Massacre: Security Forces Unmask Terror Kingpin Sadiku
Tuesday’s massacre in Woro, a remote community in Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State, which claimed an estimated 176 lives, was not a random act of violence. Investigations indicate that the attack was the outcome of a carefully planned expansion of a jihadist front that Nigeria’s security architecture failed to stop, despite advance warnings.
At the centre of the carnage is Abubakar Saidu, widely known as Sadiku—a seasoned terrorist commander whose violent footprint stretches across more than a decade and multiple regions of northern Nigeria.
From Shadow Figure to Regional Kingpin
For years, Sadiku operated largely out of public view within Nigeria’s insurgency ecosystem. However, security investigations now trace a 12-year trajectory that saw him evolve from a trusted lieutenant of the late Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, in 2014, to what analysts describe in 2026 as the “Shekau of the North-Central.”
As sustained military offensives weakened Boko Haram strongholds in the North-East, Sadiku shifted westward, embedding himself in the vast forest corridors linking Niger and Kwara states. From these hideouts, he coordinated attacks that devastated farming communities, displaced thousands, and ultimately culminated in one of the deadliest mass killings in Kwara State’s history.
Deployed by Boko Haram
Security findings reveal that Sadiku was originally dispatched by Boko Haram to Niger State as a trusted operative charged with expanding the group’s influence beyond its traditional North-East base.
A counterterrorism analyst on X, MobilisingNigeria, linked Sadiku’s rise to his close relationship with Shekau, who reportedly handpicked him to oversee Boko Haram’s interests in Niger State.
“He later worked with Dogo Gide to expand into the North-Central terrain and also collaborated with the Darul Islam terrorist group before the police dismantled it,” the analyst wrote.
Sadiku’s temporary alliance with notorious bandit kingpin Dogo Gide enabled him to acquire weapons, intelligence, and local leverage. The partnership later collapsed over ideological differences, triggering violent clashes that left casualties on both sides.
Kainji Forest: A New Base of Terror
Following the split, Sadiku withdrew deeper into forest territories, eventually establishing a major base inside the Kainji Forest Reserve in July 2025. Security observers describe this move as a strategic shift from profit-driven banditry to a more rigid, ideology-driven campaign of terror.
Spanning Niger and Kwara states, the Kainji Forest Reserve has increasingly become a strategic hub linking insurgents from the North-East with remnants of bandit groups in the North-West. Security experts now refer to it as Nigeria’s “new Sambisa,” providing cover for recruitment, arms trafficking, and coordinated attacks across Kwara, Niger, Kebbi, and parts of Kaduna states.
A Kwara-based security expert, Hassan, said Sadiku’s relocation marked a dangerous expansion of Boko Haram-style insurgency into the North-Central zone.
“For over a decade, Boko Haram violence was concentrated in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa,” he said. “But splinter factions are now exploiting forests, weak security presence and porous borders to push westward.”
Links to Al-Qaeda Affiliate
In a separate analysis, MobilisingNigeria described Sadiku as a Boko Haram factional leader who relocated from the North-East to establish new operational bases in the North-West and North-Central regions.
International security tracker Brandon Phillips directly linked Sadiku’s faction to the Woro massacre, noting that the attack occurred less than four kilometres from Nuku, where Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin (JNIM)—an Al-Qaeda affiliate—claimed its first-ever attack in Nigeria in October 2025.
According to Phillips, the proximity suggests either operational collaboration or a non-aggression pact between JNIM and the Sadiku-led Boko Haram faction. He added that the Woro killings followed a pattern similar to recent attacks in Papiri, Niger State, indicating a continued southward push toward JNIM-dominated zones around the Kainji Reserve.
Between November and December 2025, Phillips said evidence of cooperation between JNIM and Sadiku’s Jama’atu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’adati wal-Jihad (JAS) faction became increasingly clear, with fighters redeployed into JNIM-controlled areas of Kwara, Niger and southern Kebbi.
He also linked JNIM to the kidnapping of Catholic children in Papiri, noting that some victims were held in JNIM camps after an operation executed by Sadiku’s fighters.
Fighters Converge on Kainji Axis
Another security researcher, Raheem Mutiu, confirmed that JNIM fighters have spread across Kaiama, Baruten, Borgu and surrounding communities near the Kainji Forest Reserve.
He noted that these areas were previously controlled by the Mahmuda group, whose influence declined sharply after the arrest of its leader in August 2025.
African conflict researcher James Barnett observed that the extreme brutality of the Woro massacre distinguished Sadiku’s faction from the Mahmudawa group, which had focused largely on preaching and social control, with violence mostly triggered by military operations.
Following the Mahmuda leader’s arrest, Barnett said some fighters defected to Sadiku’s camp, while others fled into Benin Republic, consolidating Boko Haram splinter dominance around the Kainji axis.
A Warning Ignored
Investigations reveal that Woro was warned weeks before the attack.
The village head, Salihu Umar, confirmed receiving a letter written in Hausa and dated 19 Rajab 1447 (January 8), about three weeks before the massacre. Signed by JAS, the letter requested a “secret” meeting with community leaders for preaching purposes and assured residents they would not be harmed.
Umar said he photocopied the letter and submitted it to the Kaiama Emirate, while also forwarding a soft copy to the Department of State Services (DSS) office in Kaiama.
The Night of Bloodshed
On the day of the attack, eyewitnesses said the gunmen arrived around 5pm on motorcycles, armed with AK-47 rifles and explosives. They surrounded the community, sealing all exit routes.
By 6pm, the attackers stormed the Emir’s palace, dragged out his family and set the building ablaze as gunfire echoed across the town. Residents reported seeing a white helicopter with markings hover briefly over the area before departing without intervention.
Between 6:30pm and 8pm, survivors said the attackers entered what they described as an “execution phase,” rounding up men, tying their hands behind their backs, and killing them systematically.
A military aircraft reportedly reappeared around 8pm, forcing the assailants to retreat into nearby bushes. Believing the danger had passed, some residents emerged around 9pm. The attackers regrouped, used the call to prayer as a decoy to lure people out, and resumed the killings.
The violence finally subsided around 2am, when the terrorists withdrew into the forest, abducting women and children and leaving behind a devastated community.
According to a statement on Friday, the arrested officers are: “AP/No. 207454, ASP Elomore Sodayo; AP/No. 332012, Inspector Adefila Adewale; AP/No. 332449, Inspector Olorunfemi Opeyemi; and AP/No. 332369, Inspector Odusola Peter.”
Speaking at the command headquarters in Akure on Friday, the state Commissioner of Police, Felix Ohagwu, said the police had zero tolerance for indiscipline and unprofessional conduct.
He added that a comprehensive investigation had been ordered to establish the circumstances surrounding the incident and determine the level of culpability of each officer involved.
He added that officers were expected to conduct themselves with the utmost professionalism, respect human dignity and comply strictly with the Force’s Code of Conduct and Standard Operating Procedures.
“The Nigeria Police Force is a disciplined and professional institution that does not condone any form of misconduct, incivility, or actions capable of undermining public confidence, promoting ethnic division, or bringing the Force into disrepute,” the commissioner said.
He assured the public that the investigation would be conducted to determine the facts of the case, adding that any officer found culpable would face appropriate disciplinary action.
This was said to be part of renewed efforts to tackle insecurity.
Disu gave the directive on Friday during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Government House in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.
According to the IG, the order followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive that the persistent insecurity in Benue State must be brought to an end.
He stressed that only authorised security personnel were legally permitted to bear firearms, warning that the era of passive policing was over.
“You cannot move around freely carrying arms as if there is no law and order in this country. It will not be tolerated,” he said.
Disu disclosed that police officers had been empowered under Force Order 237 to respond decisively to armed threats without waiting for directives from superior officers.
“We are tired of losing our men. We are tired of police officers, soldiers, and other members of the security agencies dying anyhow.
“They have been instructed to shoot at sight. They have been trained to do what is necessary. But we will not succeed without the cooperation of all of you.”
He called on residents to support security agencies with credible information, stressing that public cooperation remains critical to the fight against armed criminality.
Benue State has witnessed repeated attacks by armed groups in recent months, resulting in the loss of lives, displacement of residents and destruction of property.
The federal government has continued to deploy additional security personnel and adopt tougher measures aimed at restoring peace in the state.
By Okey Maduforo, Awka
Fresh fears have gripped residents of Ifite Awka following an alleged plot by suspected gunmen to establish camps in the area where four Fulani herders were killed two days ago.
Security reports indicate that the attack may have been aimed at scaring away visitors to the bush in an attempt to facilitate the establishment of new camps in the area.
Residents recalled that similar tactics had allegedly been used by criminal elements to take over communities, often with the assistance of local collaborators.
The area shares boundaries with Awka North Local Government Area, where there have been reports of gunmen operating in some communities.
Following the development, youths from Ifite Awka have stormed the Ifite Agu area in a manhunt for the suspected gunmen.
The development comes as Anambra State Governor, Prof. Chukwuma Charles Soludo, has issued a fresh directive to traditional rulers and President-Generals (PGs) of communities to take charge of the security architecture in their respective areas in conjunction with local security operatives and the mayors of the 21 local government areas.
It was gathered that as early as 5 a.m., some youths in the area had moved into the bushes in search of the suspected gunmen and cattle reportedly missing following the incident.
The youths were accompanied by local hunters who assisted in the search.
Speaking with reporters, the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Mr Christian Aburime, confirmed the fresh directive to traditional rulers and President-Generals of communities across the state.
He said, “We have a government that is people-oriented and that is the government of Prof. Charles Soludo, who is a man that loves the people, is at home with the ordinary people and feels their pains.”
Aburime described the incident as unfortunate and urged the police and other relevant security agencies to take immediate action.
He noted that traditional rulers and President-Generals are the first points of contact when it comes to the security of lives and property in their communities, adding that the governor had reiterated his charge to security stakeholders to take control of security in their respective areas.
He, however, said the possibility of sabotage could not be ruled out, but added that it would be premature to draw conclusions before the completion of investigations by the relevant security agencies.
“The issue of sabotage against security in Anambra State cannot be ruled out, and that could just be an attempt to undermine the efforts of the government. But I cannot categorically tell you that it is an act of sabotage. We have to wait for the investigations of the security agencies before drawing conclusions,” he said.
He added that the Agunechemba Security Squad was working to improve security in the state, noting that residents had commended the governor for the improved security situation.
“We have a good security architecture in place, and I can tell you that this could just be an isolated incident. Everything necessary that needs to be done will be done in that regard,” Aburime said.
He stressed that security was the responsibility of everyone, regardless of social status or position.
“It is very simple, and the governor has always said that security is everybody’s business. When it happens, it affects everyone, irrespective of class or position,” he said.
According to him, “The President-Generals and traditional rulers are the first points of security in their communities and should be able to ensure that there is no security breach in their respective localities.”
He urged residents to provide useful intelligence to security agencies, assuring them that their identities would be protected.
“If you see something, say something. These people doing these things are human beings, and they live in the localities. People should be able to know them. They should avail us of intelligence reports, and that will help us fish them out. Your identity will always be protected,” he said.
The Commissioner of Police in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), CP Ahmed Sanusi, has urged residents, particularly youths, to resist attempts by police officers to search their mobile phones during stop-and-search operations.
Sanusi said such searches violate a directive issued by the Inspector-General of Police, stressing that officers are not permitted to randomly search the phones of members of the public.
The commissioner made the remarks during a press conference shared by News Central Television on Tuesday.
He explained that although mobile phones could be used as evidence in criminal investigations, they should only be examined after a suspect has been lawfully arrested and taken to a police station.
According to him, officers are not authorised to stop people on the road and demand access to their phones merely on suspicion that they may be involved in internet fraud or other criminal activities.
Sanusi urged residents confronted by officers demanding to search their phones to seek assistance by contacting the police emergency line or nearby police officers.
He reaffirmed the FCT Police Command’s commitment to enforcing the Inspector-General’s directive, warning that officers found violating the order would face disciplinary action.
He said the command would continue to take action against officers who abuse their authority or engage in extortion under the guise of conducting stop-and-search operations.
The Cross River State Police Command has arrested a 39-year-old man, Udeme Emmanuel Ekpeme, for allegedly impersonating a medical doctor and defrauding a woman of ₦500,000 under the guise of securing employment for her children at the University of Calabar Teaching Hospital (UCTH).
The command’s spokesperson, ASP Sunday Eitokpah, disclosed this in a statement issued to journalists on Tuesday in Calabar.
According to the statement, Ekpeme was arrested by officers attached to the Uwanse Division in Calabar South Local Government Area following a petition by a 45-year-old woman, Mrs Edemawan Samuel.
The complainant alleged that the suspect falsely presented himself as a medical doctor and collected ₦500,000 from her after promising to facilitate employment for her children at UCTH.
Police said preliminary investigations indicated that the suspect allegedly used the false representation to deceive the woman into handing over the money.
Relevant exhibits believed to be connected to the alleged offences were also recovered during the investigation, while the suspect remains in police custody.
The police spokesperson said the suspect is being investigated for alleged impersonation, obtaining money by false pretence and unlawful use of medical equipment.
The Commissioner of Police, Rashid Afegbua, has directed detectives to conduct a thorough investigation to determine the full extent of the suspect’s activities and identify any other possible victims or accomplices.
The command said the suspect would be charged to court upon completion of investigations if sufficient evidence is established.
The police assured members of the public that further updates would be provided as the investigation progresses.
The arrest comes weeks after the Edo State Police Command announced the arrest of a 46-year-old man, Osaze Okungbowa, who was accused of impersonating a medical doctor and allegedly delivering babies and trafficking newborns.
The Edo suspect was arrested following a complaint by a woman, Princess Oke, who reported that the baby she delivered under his care had gone missing, leading to a police investigation.
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