At least 30 people, including eight children, have been killed following a deadly attack by suspected terrorists on Naridon Village in Kamaru Ward of Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The assailants reportedly invaded the community around 11 p.m. on Sunday, opening fire indiscriminately and setting several houses ablaze in one of the latest violent attacks to hit Southern Kaduna.
The Secretary to the Village Head of Naridon, Dogon Rana, confirmed the incident on Monday, describing it as the worst attack the community had ever experienced.
According to him, the attackers struck while some residents were still outdoors carrying out evening activities, while others had already gone to bed.
Rana said 30 deaths had so far been confirmed, while four other victims sustained severe injuries and are receiving medical treatment.
He warned that the death toll could increase because some of the injured remain in critical condition.
He said the attack left families shattered, with lives lost and property worth millions of naira destroyed.
He disclosed that one resident lost five children during the attack, with the only surviving child battling for life in hospital.
Rana also revealed that his house was among those razed by the attackers, adding that several shops and residential buildings, including the home of the late Mr Garba, were destroyed, leaving many families without shelter.
He blamed the high casualty figure on the poor road network leading to the community, explaining that the absence of a motorable access road delayed emergency response and prevented many residents from escaping.
The village official appealed to the Federal Government, the Kaduna State Government and security agencies to strengthen security presence in the area and urgently rehabilitate the access road to the community.
He lamented that repeated attacks had left residents living in constant fear, saying they could no longer sleep peacefully.
The latest assault has heightened concerns among residents of Kauru Local Government Area, where several communities have endured repeated attacks by armed groups, resulting in deaths, destruction of property and displacement of residents.
A resident, who requested anonymity for security reasons, alleged that 22 members of the Rana family were among those killed during the attack.
The source also claimed that businesses were destroyed and that the assault lasted for about three hours without any security intervention, despite the presence of military formations in nearby Kamaru and Ungwan Magaji, about two kilometres from the village.
The resident further alleged that only one military officer and four Mobile Police personnel had been deployed to the community after the attack.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful.
Calls to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, were not answered, while a text message sent to his telephone line had yet to receive a response as of the time of filing this report.