At least nine people have been confirmed dead and eleven others severely injured following a violent assault by suspected bandits on the Unguwar Magaji community in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The attack occurred in the Kamaru Ward, throwing the local population into deep trauma as survivors recount a ruthless onslaught that targeted both adults and young children.
Joseph Yonkpa, spokesperson for the Irigwe Youth Movement, confirmed the tragedy on Wednesday. Early reports from the ground initially indicated that two individuals had lost their lives.
However, subsequent search and rescue operations conducted across the community led to the grim discovery of seven additional bodies, bringing the total death toll to nine.
According to community sources, the heavily armed attackers invaded the village using firearms and cutlasses. In a particularly brutal escalation of violence, the assailants reportedly used machetes to target children during the raid.
The local officials identified the nine deceased victims as Jerry Doctor, Danlami Magani, Sunday Chibi, Rita Abdullahi, Sunday Elkan, Esther Kefas, Happy Friday, Moses Daddy, and Daddy Ibrahim.
The eleven individuals currently receiving treatment for various degrees of injuries are Halla Monday, Mary Yohanna, Jummai John, Charity Danjuma, Faith Yakubu, Omi Yakubu, Ali Sandiye, Asabe Victor, Srarina Simon, Talatu Sunday, and ThankGod Danladi.
At the time of publication, the Kaduna State Police Command has yet to issue an official statement regarding the incident or outline measures being taken to apprehend the perpetrators.
The deadly raid is the latest in a wave of banditry, mass killings, and kidnappings that have systematically plagued vulnerable communities across Kaduna State in recent months.
