A renewed wave of violence struck Southern Kaduna on Sunday night as armed assailants attacked the Chawai community in Kauru Local Government Area. Several residents are feared dead, while numerous houses were set ablaze during the assault.
The invasion forced residents to flee amid fears of further violence.
A resident, Mark Vincent, told the BBC Hausa Service that about 50 armed men stormed the community at nightfall and went from house to house shooting residents for nearly three hours before leaving.
He said 28 bodies had been deposited at a mortuary, two victims already buried, and seven others were being treated for gunshot wounds. He dismissed suggestions that the attack was a farmer-herder clash, saying victims were killed in their homes.
The figures could not be independently verified as of press time, and the Kaduna State Police Command had yet to issue an official statement.
Police spokesman, DSP Mansir Hassan, said a statement would follow in due course.
The Kaduna State Government condemned the killing of several persons in Naridon village, Kamaru Ward of Kauru, describing it as an attack on a border community between Kaduna and Ganawuri in Riyom LGA of Plateau State.
Governor Uba Sani, directed security agencies to intensify operations to arrest the perpetrators and ordered the State Emergency Management Agency to provide relief to affected families.
Commissioner for Information, Ahmed Maiyaki, said the government was working with Plateau State, security agencies and traditional institutions to strengthen security along the shared border, urging residents to remain calm and support operations with credible information.
Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the Southern Kaduna Peoples’ Union (SOKAPU) condemned the attack, calling for urgent government action to end the recurring violence.
Atiku described the killings as heartbreaking, saying the recurring bloodshed reflected government’s failure to protect citizens. He called for a review of the country’s security architecture, saying government’s priority should be protecting vulnerable communities.
SOKAPU, in an open letter to the Kaduna Commissioner of Police signed by its President, Tabara Samuel Kato, said residents of Kajuru, Chikun, Kauru and Zangon Kataf local government areas were under threat despite repeated security assurances. It urged deployment of Mobile Police and counter-terrorism units to vulnerable communities and forest corridors, intelligence-driven operations, and sustained patrols to protect farmers.
The PDP governorship candidate in Kaduna, Usman Shehu Bawa, condemned the killing of the Naridon residents, describing it as an act of barbarity. He said families were slaughtered in their sleep and homes razed, calling for immediate deployment of additional security personnel to Kauru and other flashpoints, a thorough investigation and prosecution of perpetrators, and humanitarian relief for survivors. He also urged traditional rulers to strengthen grassroots intelligence gathering by ensuring visitors to their domains are properly identified.
