Gunmen killed at least 162 people in a village in Kwara State in one of the deadliest attacks in Nigeria in recent months, a Red Cross official said on Wednesday.

The assault, carried out late Tuesday, came shortly after the military conducted operations in the area against what it described as "terrorist elements".

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq confirmed 75 deaths on Wednesday night while addressing residents at the palace of the Emir of Kaiama, explaining that the victims were "local Muslims massacred for refusing to surrender to extremists preaching a strange doctrine".

He disclosed that President Bola Tinubu had approved the immediate deployment of an army battalion under Operation Savannah Shield to launch counter-offensives against the attackers.

"Reports said that the death toll now stands at 162, as the search for more bodies continues," Babaomo Ayodeji, Kwara State Secretary of the Red Cross, said, updating an earlier figure of 67.

Earlier, local lawmaker Sa'idu Baba Ahmed told AFP that between 35 and 40 bodies had been counted following the attack on Tuesday evening.

The police confirmed the incident without giving casualty figures, while the state government blamed "terrorist cells".

"Many others escaped into the bush with gunshots," Ahmed said, warning that more bodies could still be found.

The gunmen invaded Woro village at around 6:00 pm on Tuesday and set shops and the king's palace ablaze.