At least 30 people, including eight children, have been killed in a suspected terrorist attack on Naridon Village in Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The attackers reportedly invaded the community at about 11pm on Sunday, firing at residents, setting homes on fire and destroying properties.
The Secretary to the Village Head of Naridon, Dogon Rana, who confirmed the incident, said the death toll could increase as four injured victims were in critical condition.
“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 one of the worst attacks the community had experienced, noting that the assailants struck while some residents were still awake and others had gone to bed.
Rana said the attack had left families devastated, with one family reportedly losing five children in the violence.
“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.
The village official also disclosed that his house was among those burnt during the attack, while several shops and other residential buildings were destroyed.
“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 added.
Rana attributed the high number of casualties partly to the poor road network linking the community, saying the lack of a motorable access road delayed the arrival of security and emergency responders.
“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 and Kaduna State Governments, as well as security agencies, to strengthen security in the area and provide a functional access road.
“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,” Rana said.
Naridon, which shares a boundary with parts of Plateau State, has reportedly witnessed growing insecurity alongside other communities in Kauru Local Government Area.
A resident who spoke anonymously for security reasons alleged that 22 members of the Rana family were among those killed, while several businesses were also destroyed.
The resident claimed the attack lasted for about three hours without security intervention, despite the reported presence of military formations in Kamaru and Ungwan Magaji, about two kilometres from the affected community.
According to the resident, only one military officer and four Mobile Police personnel had been deployed to the community after the attack.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls to its spokesperson, DSP Mansir Hassan, were unanswered. A text message sent to his phone had also not received a response at the time of filing the report.
