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Viewer Discretion advised: Deadly attacks in Nigeria by terrorists have led to roughly 200 people being killed in the span of just a few days.

Getting into it: The first attack unfolded on Tuesday evening in the remote Woro community of Kwara State, where armed terrorists stormed the village and carried out one of the deadliest massacres in recent history. According to local officials, at least 170 people were killed after the attackers rounded up residents, tied their hands behind their backs, and executed them. Survivors reported that the militants forced villagers to listen to a sermon, demanding they renounce loyalty to the Nigerian state and accept Sharia law. When the villagers resisted, the gunmen opened fire, burned homes and shops, and drove remaining survivors into surrounding bushland. Graphic footage aired on local television showed bodies lying in pools of blood, many with their hands bound.

In a separate attack later the same day in Katsina State in northern Nigeria, at least 21 more people were killed as gunmen moved from house to house, shooting victims at point-blank range.

While no group has officially claimed responsibility, local officials and residents believe the attacks were carried out by factions of Boko Haram or a group known as the Lakurawa, which is believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State. Security experts also noted that the attacks followed recent Nigerian military operations targeting terrorist groups in the region, suggesting they may have been retaliatory strikes by insurgents under pressure.

In response, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu condemned the massacres as “cowardly and barbaric” and announced the deployment of an army battalion under a new initiative called Operation Savannah Shield. The goal, according to Tinubu, is to “checkmate the barbaric terrorists and protect defenceless communities.”

Despite this, the Nigerian government’s security strategy is under international scrutiny, especially after President Trump criticized Nigeria last year for failing to protect Christian populations from Islamist violence. In late December, US forces launched airstrikes on what they called terrorist targets in Nigeria and have since deployed a small advisory team to assist the country amid the ongoing crisis.