Six children and a woman have been killed on Saturday in a reprisal attack on some herders’ settlements in Kaura and Lere local government areas of Kaduna State.
The attack came barely 24 hours after seven persons were killed in an attack on Gora Gan village of Zangon Kataf Local government area of the state Thursday night.
Confirming the attack, Samuel Aruwan, Kaduna State Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, said six people, including a woman and six children were killed in reprisal killings in Kauru Local Government Area.
It would be recalled that on Thursday night gunmen had attacked the Gora Gan community in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of the state, killing seven persons.
Aruwan disclosed that “ the military under the auspices of Operation Safe Haven and the police have informed the Kaduna State Government of counter attacks on some herder settlements in Kauru and Lere local government areas.”
According to him, quoting operational feedback from the security agencies, the attacks were carried out by some aggrieved youths, following the killing of seven persons on Thursday night in Gora Gan, Zangon Kataf local government.
“The security agencies reported that seven herders were killed in a counter killing in Ungwan Idi and Kasheku villages of Kauru Local Government while two herders were injured at Ningi village of Lere Local Government,” he added.
The Commissioner said the seven herders killed at Ungwan Idi and Kasheku villages in Kauru Local Government are one-year-old Mustapha Haruna, Ya’u Kada (one year), Sa’idu Abdullahi (one year), Zainab Zakari (one year), Sadiya Abdullahi (five years), Aisha Abdullahi (one year) and one unidentified woman burnt beyond recognition.
He added that five persons were missing while troops were searching for them, noting that six huts were burnt in the attack.”
Those who sustained injuries -Aisha Mohammed, 20-year-old and 25-year-old Sadiya Abdullahi – in the Kauru reprisal attack were receiving medical attention at Ungwan Idi Clinic, Aruwan stated.
He said at Ningi village of Lere Local Government Area, the two herders, Bingel Odi, 31 and seven-year-old Isa Joda, were injured and rushed to General Hospital, Saminaka, in the same local government:
Governor Nasir El-Rufai who condemned the renewed counter killings sent condolences to the families that lost their loved ones and wished those recuperating speedy recovery,” Mr Aruwan said.
The governor described the renewed killing and counter killing of innocent citizens of Atyap and Fulani ethnicity as unfortunate. He decried the resort to violence, noting that it is not a solution to grievances and disputes, but a tragic way to escalate matters and drag people into more pain and misery.
The governor directed the State Emergency Management Agency, SEMA, to provide relief materials to the affected families with immediate effect.
