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No fewer than 30 persons, including women and children, were killed when suspected bandits attacked Naridom community in Chawai Chiefdom of Kauru Local Government Area (LGA) of Kaduna State.
According to the LEADERSHIP, the attackers were said to have stormed the community in the early hours of Monday, between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m., opening fire on residents and operating for more than three hours, leaving scores dead, houses and shops razed, and many others traumatised.
A resident of the community, Barnabas Musa, told LEADERSHIP that the attack began shortly after midnight and lasted until about 3 a.m., as terrified residents made frantic calls for help.
“The attack happened in the early hours of this morning. We started receiving calls between 12 a.m. and 1 a.m., and the attack continued for over three hours,” Musa said.
According to him, no fewer than 30 people, including women and children, were killed during the attack, while the gunmen also set ablaze four shops and two houses.
Another resident, Comrade Friday Ango, also confirmed the attack, describing it as one of the worst tragedies to befall the community.
He said that the attackers wiped out the family of a resident identified as Mr. Emma, killing about five of his children.
“They wiped out one man’s family. They killed about five of his children,” Ango said.
Ango said residents were still recovering bodies from the community as of the time of filing this report, while efforts were ongoing to compile the names of those killed.
“The names of those killed are still being gathered as people are bringing out the corpses,” he said.
He added that the attack has thrown Naridom community into mourning, with grieving families searching for missing relatives and preparing to bury their loved ones.
Residents called on security agencies and the Kaduna State Government to intensify efforts to protect lives and property across Chawai Chiefdom and other parts of Kauru local government area that have suffered repeated attacks by armed groups.
As of the time of filing this report, the Kaduna State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement on the attack, as the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), DSP Mansir Hassan, did not respond to several telephone calls.
