Twenty persons have been reported killed in a fresh attack by unknown gunmen in Angwan Aku community, Kajuru Local Government Area, Kaduna State.
A resident said the attack was launched at about 7am yesterday by gunmen, allegedly dressed in military uniform and armed with AK47 rifles, machetes and sticks.
They stormed the village, shooting sporadically, he said.
It was learnt that several others were injured in the attack.
The source said: “The attackers stormed the village and they were shooting indiscriminately and everybody started running into the bush. They were pursuing us as we ran. Some people were killed in the bush.
“Some of them were wearing military uniforms with bulletproof vests… I saw them from where I was hiding.”
The source, who pleaded not to be named for “security reasons”, said the police arrived in the village in eight Hilux vans after the bandits had run into the bush.
“The police came in eight Hilux vehicles, but instead of pursuing the bandits who ran into the bush, they just turned back,” he said.
According to him, there had been speculations last week of the attacks.
“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 (ADA), Danladi Yarima, confirmed the attack in a telephone interview, describing it as “unfortunate”.
He blamed it on the government’s handling of the security situation in the state.
The incessant killings in Kajuru communities stared on February 10 when some herdsmen allegedly attacked Anguwan Barde, an Adara community, at night and killed 11 residents.
The Adara were alleged to have embarked on reprisal attacks.
Yarima, a lawyer, had in a recent statement said that about 4,000 people had been sacked from their homes following the destruction of properties by bandits.
Yakubu Sabo, spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command could not be reached for comment last night. The messages sent to him on the telephone and on the Police/Media WhatsApp platform were not replied.
