Death toll in central Nigerian village attack rises to 170

BAUCHI, Nigeria, Feb 4 - At least 170 people have been killed in an attack by armed men on a remote village in central Nigeria's Kwara state, a local lawmaker told Reuters on Wednesday, as authorities and soldiers continued to comb nearby bushland for survivors.

It was the deadliest assault recorded this year in the district bordering Niger state, an area increasingly targeted by gunmen who raid villages, kidnap residents and loot livestock.

Villagers fled into surrounding bushland as the gunmen attacked Woro, lawmaker Saidu Baba Ahmed told Reuters by phone.

Ahmed said the gunmen rounded up residents, bound their hands behind their backs and executed them. The lawmaker shared photographs of dead bodies with Reuters, which the agency was not immediately able to verify.

The attackers also torched homes and shops during Tuesday's raid.

"As I'm speaking to you now, I'm in the village along with military personnel, sorting dead bodies and combing the surrounding areas for more," Ahmed said.

Several people were still missing on Wednesday morning, he said.

Residents told Reuters the gunmen, thought to be jihadists who often preached in the village, demanded that locals ditch their allegiance to the Nigerian state and switch to Sharia, Islamic law. When the villagers pushed back, the militants opened fire during Tuesday's sermon.

Kwara police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyem said the police and military have been mobilised to the area for a search-and-rescue operation, but declined to provide casualty details.

Nigeria is under pressure to restore security since U.S. President Donald Trump accused it last year of failing to protect Christians after numerous Islamist attacks and mass kidnappings. U.S. forces struck what they described as terrorist targets on December 25.

The Nigerian authorities say they are cooperating with Washington to improve security and have denied there is systematic persecution of Christians. REUTERS