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.
The Enugu State Government has urged residents to make use of the 112 toll-free emergency line to access prompt security services anywhere in the state.
The Senior Special Assistant to Governor Peter Mbah on Security, Mr Vincent Onyeabor, made the call on Monday during an ongoing journalists’ tour of projects executed by the state government.
The journalists visited various workstations at the Command-and-Control Centre in Enugu, where Onyeabor explained how the state’s emergency response system operates.
He said the state had adopted the National Emergency Number 112 as its official emergency security services line, with a dedicated workstation at the Command-and-Control Centre receiving calls round the clock.
According to him, personnel manning the 112 workstation work in shifts to ensure that emergency reports are promptly received, processed and escalated to the appropriate security agencies for immediate action.
“The 112 toll-free line section can trigger action in terms of security emergency situations.
“The section will escalate the information received to the Command-and-Control Centre, Enugu, which can use the state-wide fibre cameras to trace the security or crime situation.
“The section can also escalate the information to the nearest Distress Response Squad (DRS) vehicle to take action,” he said.
Onyeabor urged residents to take advantage of the emergency line and continue to report security incidents to enable the authorities to respond quickly.
“Our people should take advantage of the 112 toll-free line as we want the calls to keep coming,” he said.
He added that residents could also contact the security response team through 09134666668 and 09134448093.
Onyeabor further attributed an estimated 80 per cent reduction in crime in the state to the government’s investment in technology-driven security infrastructure.
He listed the fibre-enabled surveillance cameras, Command-and-Control Centre, 112 emergency response system, drone technology and mobile statewide DRS squad among the measures deployed to strengthen security across the state.
The alleged daylight robbery of motorists and commuters by men in military and police uniforms along the Okigwe axis of the Enugu–Port Harcourt Road is becoming too brazen to ignore.
For motorists travelling from Enugu towards Okigwe, the ordeal reportedly begins shortly after Lokpanta, where a series of checkpoints can quickly turn an ordinary journey into an encounter with fear, intimidation and demands for money.
What makes the situation particularly disturbing is the difficulty in identifying the security personnel manning some of these checkpoints. On some occasions, their vehicles are unmarked. At other times, motorists say it is difficult to determine whether the men are police officers, soldiers or personnel of another security formation.
Yet, according to accounts from commuters and motorists, the alleged modus operandi remains remarkably similar.
A commercial bus is stopped and searched. Two or three young passengers may be singled out and labelled “Yahoo boys” — a term commonly used to describe suspected internet fraudsters. From there, an alleged demand for money follows, with some victims reportedly told to produce N50,000 or more.
The demand, according to the accounts, is often required in cash.
The victim is then left with little choice but to mount an okada to the nearest Point-of-Sale terminal, frequently around the Hausa settlement at Lokpanta, withdraw the demanded cash and return to the checkpoint.
For private motorists, the allegation takes a slightly different form. The vehicle may suddenly be described as stolen or suspicious. Instead of a formal verification process, the alleged encounter reportedly degenerates into negotiation, with the motorist expected to pay an agreed amount before being allowed to continue the journey.
Then the checkpoint goes back to business as usual.
The most troubling aspect of these allegations is not merely the money reportedly extorted from motorists. It is the mystery surrounding the identity and authority of the men operating the checkpoints.
Who are they?
Which security formation do they belong to?
Who deployed them?
And under whose authority are they operating?
One victim reportedly became so concerned about the identity of the personnel that he contacted an Army officer for assistance. The officer, in turn, reportedly reached out to police and Army formations in Abia State to establish whether the men were operating under their command.
The response, according to the victim’s account, was that none of the formations contacted recognised the team as theirs.
That raises an even more disturbing question: if they are not from Abia, Imo, Ebonyi or Enugu security formations, where exactly did they come from?
The Enugu–Port Harcourt corridor is one of the most important transportation routes in the Southeast. Thousands of people use it daily for business, work, family commitments and interstate travel. Security checkpoints are supposed to provide protection, prevent crime and reassure travellers.
They should not become sources of fear.
Of course, legitimate security operations must be distinguished from allegations of criminal conduct. Police officers and soldiers have a responsibility to stop suspected criminals, inspect vehicles and investigate suspicious movements. But where money is demanded from citizens without transparent legal justification, where suspects are allegedly forced to withdraw cash from POS operators, and where the identity of the personnel involved cannot be established, the matter demands urgent investigation.
There is also a wider security concern.
If genuine security personnel are involved, their respective commands need to identify them and establish whether their conduct is authorised.
If they are not genuine security personnel, then the possibility of criminals impersonating police officers or soldiers becomes even more serious.
Either way, the authorities cannot afford to look away.
The repeated complaints from motorists along the Okigwe axis deserve more than informal assurances. The police, Army and other relevant security agencies should investigate the checkpoints, establish the identity of the personnel operating them and make public the formations responsible for security operations along the route.
The Abia State, Imo, Enugu and Ebonyi Government and the relevant local authorities also have a responsibility to demand answers.
For too long, motorists have reportedly endured harassment, intimidation and alleged extortion along this stretch of road.
The question is no longer whether travellers are complaining.
They are.
The real question is: who are the men behind these checkpoints, who authorised them, and why are motorists allegedly being forced to pay cash before they can continue their journeys?
That question requires an answer — and it requires one urgently.
By Chinedu Sabastine
ENUGU — A Catholic priest, Rev. Fr. Valentine Chimaobi Nwajiagu, was allegedly attacked on Sunday by a member of the Knights of St. John International, Sir Iyke Nwatakwocha, at St. Anthony Catholic Church, New GRA, Trans-Ekulu, Enugu East Local Government Area of Enugu State.
The incident reportedly occurred shortly after the 6am Mass, during which Fr. Nwajiagu participated in a priestly exchange programme at the parish.
Fr. Nwajiagu is the Assistant Parish Priest of Assumption Catholic Church, Nkwo Nike, Enugu.
Sources said Nwatakwocha, who was allegedly visibly angry, confronted the priest and damaged his vehicle. He was also said to have threatened some worshippers who attempted to intervene.
The reason for the alleged confrontation was not immediately known as of the time of filing this report.
However, some worshippers claimed that the same individual had allegedly confronted Fr. Nwajiagu earlier in the year at his parish, raising concerns that Sunday’s incident may have been a recurrence.
The worshippers urged the Catholic Diocese of Enugu to investigate the incident and take appropriate measures to prevent further confrontation involving the priest.
The allegations could not be independently verified as of press time.
Efforts to obtain the reactions of Fr. Nwajiagu, Nwatakwocha, the Knights of St. John International and the Catholic Diocese of Enugu were ongoing as of the time of filing this report.
Troops of the newly established 15 Brigade of the Nigerian Army have dismantled three suspected IPOB/ESN camps and recovered weapons, explosives, and other logistics during an operation in Anambra State.
The operation was conducted in the early hours of Saturday, August 15, 2026, following intelligence on the activities of suspected IPOB/ESN members operating around Osuakwa, along the boundary between Ihiala and Ogbaru Local Government Areas.
The troops, operating under Joint Task Force South East, Operation UDO KA, carried out the operation alongside personnel of the Department of State Services and members of the Agunechemba Vigilante Group.
According to the Nigerian Army on X on Saturday, the joint force came under hostile fire during the operation but “responded decisively, overwhelming the criminals after a fierce firefight.”
A cache of weapons, explosives and other items, including one FN rifle with 10 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, one pump-action shotgun with five cartridges and 15 sticks of dynamite, four motorcycles, one gas cylinder, three hybrid batteries, two car batteries and three handheld radio chargers.
The Army said three suspected IPOB/ESN members were killed during the operation, while the three camps were successfully overrun and destroyed.
Troops also recovered a cache of weapons, explosives and other items, including one FN rifle with 10 rounds of 7.62mm NATO ammunition, one pump-action shotgun with five cartridges and 15 sticks of dynamite.
Other recovered items included four motorcycles, one gas cylinder, three hybrid batteries, two car batteries and three handheld radio chargers.
Further exploitation of the area led to the arrest of a suspected IPOB/ESN member identified as Chijioke, alongside a man and a woman suspected of being accomplices. The three were reportedly found in the company of six children.
The Commander of 15 Brigade commended the troops, DSS personnel and members of the Agunechemba Vigilante Group for their “courage, discipline and outstanding inter-agency cooperation.”
He described the operation as “another major setback for criminal and terrorist elements seeking to undermine peace and security in the South East.”
The Nigerian Army also assured residents that the newly established brigade would continue to sustain intelligence-led operations in collaboration with other security agencies and local stakeholders.
The Brigade said it remains committed to “denying all criminal elements freedom of action” and ensuring the safety and security of law-abiding residents across Anambra State and the wider South-East region.
Chief Sir Joseph Ebere Ezeokafor, chairman of Jezco Group of Companies, popularly known as Jezco, has regained his freedom after spending several days in the custody of his abductors.
Ezeokafor, the father of popular social media personality Jowi Zaza, was abducted in the early hours of Tuesday while on his way to a prayer ground in Awka, Anambra State.
The businessman was reportedly released near the boundary between Anambra and Enugu States, close to Ebenebe, near Awka. A family member was said to have picked him up late at night after his release.
His freedom followed ransom negotiations between the kidnappers and his family. The abductors had initially demanded N700 million before reportedly increasing the ransom to N1.5 billion.
However, following negotiations, the family eventually agreed to pay an undisclosed amount to secure his release.
Details of the final amount agreed upon, including whether the full sum was paid before or after his release, were not immediately available.
His release has brought relief to his family, friends, business associates and well-wishers, following widespread concern over his abduction across Anambra State and beyond.
Ezeokafor is the founder of Jezco Oil and Lubricants, a company he established in 1980 and subsequently expanded into other areas of manufacturing and business.
The circumstances surrounding the abduction and release, as well as the identities of the abductors, remain unclear.
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