New Delhi, Feb. 6 -- Nigeria is battling militants and it's causing a terrible security situation.

Gunmen believed to be Islamic extremists killed scores of people in a western Nigerian state that is becoming a new hot spot for the violence that affects large parts of Africa's most populous country.

Local officials said at least 162 people died in the Tuesday attack and that the victims in the Muslim-majority villages of Woro and Nuku in Kwara state were targeted for refusing extremist ideology. The gunmen razed homes and looted shops.

The attack is the latest in a surge in violence in Kwara, as well as other conflict hot spots, despite recent support from the U.S. military.

Separately on Thursday, the governor of Kaduna state announc...