Gunmen kill 30 in Kaduna village attack

No fewer than 30 people, including eight children, have been killed after suspected gunmen attacked Naridon Village in Kamaru Ward of Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. This is the latest violent incident affecting communities in Southern Kaduna.

The attackers reportedly stormed the village around 11 p.m. on Sunday, shooting indiscriminately, burning houses, and leaving many residents dead while others were injured.

Mr Dogon Rana, the Secretary to the Village Head of Naridon, confirmed the attack in a phone interview with PUNCH Online on Monday.

Rana described the attack as unprecedented for the community. He said the attackers struck while some villagers were still going about their evening activities and others had gone to bed.

According to him, 30 people have been confirmed dead so far, which includes eight children. Four others are in critical condition and are receiving treatment.

"We have confirmed the killing of 30 people, but we are afraid the death toll may rise because some of the injured are in critical condition," Rana said.

He expressed sorrow that the community had been devastated by the attack, with many families losing loved ones and property worth millions of naira destroyed.

"There is someone in this village who lost five children in one night. The only surviving child is critically injured and fighting for his life. This is a tragedy that has thrown the entire community into mourning," he said.

Rana also shared that his house was among those destroyed by the attackers.

"My personal house was burnt down by the attackers. Several shops were also destroyed, including the house belonging to the late Mr Garba. Many families have been left homeless," he said.

The village official mentioned that Naridon shares a boundary with parts of Plateau State. He blamed the high number of casualties on the lack of a good road, which delayed emergency response and made it hard for residents to escape.

"There is no accessible road to our community. If our road had been motorable, the casualty figure would not have been this high because help would have reached us on time and many people could have escaped," he said.

He appealed to the Federal Government, the Kaduna State Government, and security agencies to quickly send more security personnel to the area and start building a good road to the community.

"We are pleading with the government not to abandon us. We need security personnel to protect our people, and we need a good road. These attacks have become too frequent, and our people can no longer sleep with their eyes closed," he added.

This recent attack has raised fears among residents of Kauru Local Government Area. Many communities in the area have faced repeated attacks by armed groups in recent years. This has led to loss of lives, destruction of property, and displacement of residents.

Another resident, who asked to remain anonymous for safety reasons, claimed that 22 members of the Rana family were killed in the attack. This resident also said that businesses in the area were destroyed.

The resident further claimed that the attack lasted about three hours without intervention from security personnel, despite the presence of military formations in Kamaru and Ungwan Magaji, which are about two kilometres from the village.

"As we speak, only one military officer and four Mobile Police officers have been deployed to the community," the resident said.

Efforts to get a response from the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful. Calls to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, were not answered.

A text message sent to his phone had not received a response as of the time of this report.

Details later…