Suspected terrorists have reportedly killed at least 30 residents, including eight children, during an overnight attack on Naridon Village in Kamaru Ward of Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The attack, which residents said occurred around 11 p.m. on Sunday, left several houses in flames and many people injured, marking another violent incident in Southern Kaduna.
Report stated that, the Secretary to the Village Head of Naridon, Dogon Rana, said the assailants caught the community off guard as residents were either rounding off their daily activities or already asleep.
Rana said 30 deaths had been confirmed, while four injured victims were receiving treatment for critical wounds.
“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 described the incident as devastating, noting that entire families were affected by the attack.
“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 said his residence was destroyed in the attack alongside several other buildings.
“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.
He blamed the scale of the tragedy on the poor road leading to the village, saying it delayed emergency response and limited residents’ chances of escaping.
“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 strengthen security in the area and provide a motorable 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.
Another resident, who declined to be identified, claimed that 22 members of the Rana family were among those killed. The resident also alleged that the attackers operated for about three hours without intervention, despite the presence of nearby military formations.
“As we speak, only one military officer and four Mobile Police officers have been deployed to the community,” the resident said.
The Kaduna State Police Command had yet to comment on the incident as of the time of filing this report, as calls and a text message sent to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, were not answered.