Terrorist Leader Behind 176 Kwara Killings Exposed

A terrorist commander named Abubakar Saidu, also known as Sadiku, has been identified as the leader responsible for a series of killings in Woro, a remote community located in the Kaiama Local Government Area of Kwara State.

In a tragic incident on February 3, 2026, an estimated 176 residents lost their lives during a devastating attack.

According to reports from The Punch, Sadiku began his rise as a handpicked lieutenant of the late Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, in 2014. Over the past 12 years, security analysts have come to refer to him as the “Shekau of the North-Central,” highlighting his significant evolution and growing influence in the region.

In response to ongoing military pressure that weakened Boko Haram’s strongholds in the North-East, Sadiku migrated westward, embedding himself within the expansive forest areas of Niger and Kwara states. From this strategic position, he has orchestrated a campaign that has severely impacted farming communities, leading to widespread displacement of families and destabilization of local livelihoods.

He embedded himself in the vast forest corridors of Niger and Kwara states, orchestrating a campaign that crippled farming communities and displaced families.

From Shekau’s lieutenant to ruthless kingpin

A self-styled counterterrorism analyst on X, MobilisingNigeria, said late Shekau personally selected Sadiku to represent Boko Haram’s interests in Niger State.

“Sadiku is equated to Shekau. Military pressure in the North-East forced him to move toward the North-West and North-Central as new bases.”

The analyst added that: “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”

However, ideological disagreements eventually fractured the Dogo Gide and Sadiku’s alliance.

The split led to violent clashes that claimed the lives of fighters on both sides.

Following the split, Sadiku established a base within the Kainji Forest Reserve in July 2025, marking a turning point in his operations, as he abandoned transactional banditry for a more rigid, ideologically driven campaign of terror.

According to West and East Africa security tracker, Brandon Phillips, the Woro’s attack happened less than four kilometres from Nuku.

He said Nuku is where Jama’at Nusrat al-Islam wal-Muslimin’s fighters, an Al-Qaeda affiliate in the Sahel, claimed their first-ever attack in Nigeria in October 2025. Philip explained that the proximity suggests an operational overlap between JNIM and the Sadiku-led Boko Haram faction.

He said this points to either an opportunistic alliance or a non-aggression pact.