Armed assailants attacked two villages in Kaura local-government territory in central Nigeria on the night of February 3, killing more than a hundred civilians and burning houses, survivors and relief agencies reported. Nigerian authorities have classified the episode as a terrorist attack; by February 4 the death toll had risen to 162, and search-and-rescue operations continued as security forces moved into the area.
President Bola Tinubu has ordered the deployment of an army battalion to the affected region, portraying the move as an effort to "contain barbaric terrorists and protect defenceless communities." The federal government’s response follows a string of high-profile kidnappings and mass attacks across Nigeria’s northwest and central belt, which have eroded public confidence and prompted emergency security measures.
The United Nations Security Council issued a statement on February 17 condemning the strike in "the strongest terms," citing at least 100 fatalities and expressing condolences to the victims’ families and the Nigerian people. The council urged states to cooperate with Nigeria under international law and existing resolutions to bring perpetrators, organisers and financiers of terrorism to justice.
The assault underscores the continued threat posed by Islamist extremist groups operating in the region, principally the remnants of Boko Haram and the Islamic State’s West Africa Province (ISWAP). These groups have evolved through splits and realignments over the past decade, repeatedly mounting cross-border raids and exploiting weak state presence in rural areas along the Lake Chad basin.
The incident coincides with a deepening security partnership between Abuja and Washington. U.S. forces conducted airstrikes in Nigeria in late December and in early February a small U.S. contingent was publicly acknowledged on the ground. Nigeria’s defence headquarters confirmed that 100 U.S. personnel and equipment had arrived at Bauchi State’s airport, and U.S. officials have discussed deploying roughly 200 additional troops to train Nigerian forces against IS-affiliated militants.
For civilians in the central and northwestern states, such attacks are not new: communities have suffered cycles of arson, kidnapping and reprisal violence. Last November’s abduction of more than 300 students from a Catholic school in Niger State — one of the largest school kidnappings in recent memory — highlighted the scale of the threat and earlier prompted the president to declare a nationwide security emergency and boost frontline police recruitment.
The international reaction — from UN condemnation to deeper U.S. military involvement — signals growing concern that localized insurgency could spill into a wider regional crisis if left unchecked. Yet the presence of foreign troops risks complicating an already fragile domestic politics, potentially fueling nationalist backlash while offering much-needed training and intelligence support to overstretched Nigerian security services.