Survivors of the recent attack on Naridon community in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State have narrated their ordeal, describing how armed assailants killed dozens of residents, including members of the same family, during the deadly invasion.
The attack, which occurred in the early hours of Monday, claimed at least 30 lives as gunmen reportedly opened fire on villagers, set houses ablaze, looted food supplies and forced many residents to flee into nearby bushes.
Although security personnel have since been deployed to the community, many displaced residents said they remained afraid to return home for fear of another attack.
President Bola Tinubu has directed security and intelligence agencies to identify and apprehend those behind the killings.
One of the survivors, Auta Danladi, who lost his father and an uncle in the attack, said he pleaded with his parents to escape when news of the invasion spread, but they refused.
"When we heard the attackers were approaching, everyone started running. I begged my father and mother to leave with me, but they stayed behind. My father was later killed, while I escaped into the bush and hid until the attackers left. They also burnt down our house," he said.
Danladi described the loss as devastating, saying his late father had been his family's major source of support.
Another resident, Alheri Joseph, recalled that the attack began with heavy gunfire from different directions, forcing him to flee with his children to a neighbouring village.
"We are still living in fear because we do not know if they will return. We have lost parents, relatives and friends. What we need from the government is lasting security, not just promises," he said.
Blessing Luka, who also lost relatives in the attack, said the community had no clear understanding of why it was targeted.
She, however, recalled that the body of a herder who was killed elsewhere had been dumped in the village about two weeks before the incident, adding that residents had no involvement in the killing.
The survivors appealed to the Federal Government and security agencies to strengthen security in the area and ensure that those responsible for the killings are arrested and prosecuted.
Meanwhile, senior military officers have cautioned residents against carrying out reprisal attacks.
The General Officer Commanding 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maj. Gen. Abubakar Wase, and the General Officer Commanding 3 Division and Commander of Operation Enduring Peace, Maj. Gen. Maxwell Dangana, visited the community to assess the situation and sympathise with affected families.
Addressing residents, Dangana assured them that security agencies were intensifying efforts to apprehend the attackers and urged them to provide credible intelligence that could aid ongoing operations.
"We are committed to ensuring that those responsible are brought to justice. We also appeal to residents not to take the law into their own hands because reprisals will only worsen the situation," he said.
Also reacting, the Kaduna State chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria condemned the repeated attacks on the community, describing the killings as unacceptable and a serious threat to human life.
The association called on the government to deploy additional security personnel to vulnerable communities in Kauru Local Government Area, intensify intelligence gathering, arrest those behind the attacks and provide relief materials and medical assistance to survivors and displaced residents.
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