AT least 30 people, including eight children, have been killed after suspected terrorists attacked Naridon Village in Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State, in what residents describe as one of the deadliest assaults on the community.
The attack reportedly occurred around 11 p.m. yesterday, with the assailants opening fire indiscriminately, setting homes ablaze, and leaving dozens of residents dead or injured.
The Secretary to the Village Head of Naridon, Dogon Rana, confirmed the incident, saying the attackers struck while some residents were still outdoors and others had gone to bed.
According to him, 30 deaths have been confirmed, while four people remain in critical condition and are receiving medical treatment.
He warned that the death toll could rise due to the severity of the injuries sustained by some victims.
Rana described the attack as devastating, revealing that one family lost five children in a single night, with the only surviving child fighting for their life in hospital.
He also disclosed that his home was destroyed during the attack, alongside several shops and other properties, leaving many residents homeless.
The village official blamed the high number of casualties on the poor condition of the access road leading to the community, saying it delayed emergency response efforts and made it difficult for residents to escape.
Naridon shares a boundary with parts of Plateau State.
He appealed to the Federal Government, the Kaduna State Government, and security agencies to deploy more security personnel to the area and urgently rehabilitate the road to improve access during emergencies.
Another resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, alleged that 22 members of the Rana family were among those killed.
The resident also claimed the attack lasted for about three hours without any intervention from security operatives, despite military formations being located in nearby Kamaru and Ungwan Magaji, about two kilometres away.
According to the resident, only one soldier and four Mobile Police officers had been deployed to the community after the attack.
Efforts to obtain a response from the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful, as calls to the Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, were not answered, and a text message sent to him had not received a reply at the time of reporting.
