At least 30 people lost their lives early Monday after armed gunmen raided a village in Nigeria’s northwestern Kaduna state, according to two local residents.
Dogon Rana, who serves as secretary to the village head, described how the attackers swept through the community firing indiscriminately and setting homes ablaze. Eight of those killed were children, and four additional people were wounded in the assault.
Armed criminal gangs have increasingly terrorized communities across northwestern and north-central Nigeria, carrying out deadly raids that have become one of the country’s most pressing security concerns.
Nigeria’s northeast continues to face a separate and ongoing insurgency from the Islamist militant groups Boko Haram and its splinter faction ISWAP. As of now, no group has stepped forward to claim responsibility for the Kaduna state attack.
Youth leader Ishaya Dawa, also a resident of the area, said the gunmen descended on Naridon village in the Kauru local government area just before midnight and began shooting at residents without warning.
Dawa said some victims were slaughtered and that a number of bodies had already been transported to a mortuary. “The victims are women, children and the elderly,” he said. He added that the attackers set fire to houses before making their escape.
According to Dawa, security personnel did not reach the village until the following morning, well after the attack had ended.
Kaduna State police spokesperson Mansur Hassan said the department would be releasing further details in the near future.
