Twenty persons were reportedly killed Monday night while many suffered gunshot injuries in a renewed attack by bandits suspected to be Fulani herdsmen in Ungwan Aku village, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
According to reports, the attackers who were in military fatigue and armed with weapons including AK47 guns and machetes invaded the village at about 7pm shooting indiscriminately.
“As they shot sporadically, some of us escaped into the bush. The attackers were in military uniforms and bullet-proof vests,” the source said, adding that though the police came in eight Hilux buses, they did not pursue the bandits who fled into the bush.
According to him, there had been speculation in the past week of the attack on the village but the authorities failed to react
“We had thought that the government would have taken the speculations seriously and be proactive, but they didn’t take it seriously and this led to the killing of more of our people. It is rather very unfortunate,” he added.
A former President of the Adara Development Association, Danladi Yarima, who confirmed the killings accused Governor Nasir el-Rufai of bias in the manner he had been handling the crisis in the area.
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Meanwhile, residents of Birnin-Gwari in Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Monday protested the persistent killings of their people by suspected bandits.
The protest was led by the Coalition of Birnin-Gwari Association.
The protesters laid siege on the Emir’s palace demanding for the deployment of more troops to the town, which had, severally been attacked by kidnappers and armed robbers.
Leaders of the protesters, Auwa Yunus, called on the people “to peacefully join hands in the struggle to send a clear and unambiguous message to government concerning our plighti” adding “We urge the governments to, as a matter of urgency, provide the Internally Displaced Persons with better clothing, food, water as well as health facilities.”
Incidentally, the protest coincided with the visit of Governor Nasir el-Rufai and the Inspector-General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, to the area.
While the governor was at Katangi, where the bandits attacked villagers on Saturday, Adamu stopped at Birnin-Gwari where he addressed stakeholders.
At Kakangi community, condemned the attacks describing it as “inhuman and ungodly.”
