No fewer than 12 people have been killed and nine others brutally injured by bandits who attacked Gindin Dutse Makyali village of Kufana district in the Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
A community leader, Moses Musa, told Channels Television that the attack occurred in the early hours of Sunday, very close to a military checkpoint.
He said that the bandits invaded the community around 5am as the residents were still asleep and immediately started shooting sporadically.
He disclosed that nine people were burnt to death inside their rooms, while nine others sustained varying degrees of injuries from fire burns.
The community leader also disclosed that 17 houses were burnt by the bandits during the attack that lasted for some hours without any resistance from the military that was stationed in the community.
Meanwhile, the police in Kaduna State have confirmed the attack.
The spokesman for the Command, ASP Mansir Hassan, told our correspondent that the injured victims have been taken to the hospital for treatment, while the command has deployed special forces to the community and environs to arrest and rescue the kidnapped victims.
Meanwhile, the Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, has condemned the renewed attack in the Kajuru Local Government Area, describing it as inhuman and barbaric.
In a statement issued by his Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan, the governor noted that the attack came at a time when the Kaduna State Government was working closely with security agencies and other critical stakeholders on mitigating security challenges in the state.
While he condoled the people of Kajuru and the families of the victims, Governor Sani directed the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency to immediately assist the affected communities in Kajuru and Igabi local government areas following the razing of their houses and other valuables.
He further reiterated the government’s dedication and commitment to tackling insecurity in Kaduna State.
Attacks by armed bandits in the North-West especially in Kaduna State have been on the increase in recent weeks.
The Sunday attack in Kajuru is coming after another reported attack in the same LGA by bandits which killed at least six persons including a former Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and his younger brother in Kwassam and Sabon Layin communities.
According to a statement by the spokesperson of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU), Josiah Abraks, the bandits attacked the Kwassam community on Friday night.
He also said that 50 people were kidnapped by the bandits in another attack at Sabon Layin village at the same time.
Abraks called on the Kaduna State Government and security agencies to step up action against the bandits who are constantly terrorising communities in Southern Kaduna.
