Nigeria: Terror Group ‘Mahmuda’ Launches Deadly Attacks on Duruma Village in Kwara State, Kills 7 People

A newly identified terrorist group known as Mahmuda has launched a fresh wave of deadly attacks on Duruma village in the Baruten Local Government Area of Kwara State, killing more than four people.

The assault began in the early hours of Tuesday when the insurgents stormed the village, slaughtering three residents in a surprise ambush. According to community sources, the victims have since been buried.

Later in the evening, the same group struck again, opening fire indiscriminately as terrified villagers fled into the surrounding forest for safety. Four more people were confirmed dead in the second wave of violence, bringing the day’s death toll to seven.

Our local hunters are in Ilorin for the training of the National Forest Guard on how they can effectively use weapons to fight the terrorists. Eventually, the Mahmuda people felt their absence because they were no longer in the areas they used to be, so they struck those areas and killed three villagers. Though the soldiers eventually came to the areas, firing gunshots in the air after they had fled. A week ago, they also set fire to a farm settlement,” a source told reporters.

“There is confusion in the community now, and sporadic shooting is currently going on,” a resident told SaharaReporters. “About four people have been killed, making seven people in total today alone.”

Sources within the security apparatus suggest that the group may have taken advantage of a temporary security gap created by the absence of local hunters, who were recently deployed to Ilorin for training under the National Forest Guard initiative, a federal government programme aimed at bolstering rural security.

“As I am talking to you, our community, Kemanji, is under the control of these people. They have not entered the main Kaiama town, and that was how it started in Sokoto, Kebbi and other states. Our community is about 10 kilometres from Kaiama,” another source told Punch.

The Mahmuda group first made headlines in April when it issued a chilling threat to Duruma villagers and the broader Borgu Kingdom. The warning came via a pre-recorded audio message in Hausa, which was distributed to residents through mobile networks. In the message, the group’s self-declared leader vowed more bloodshed and demanded the immediate evacuation of the village.

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