Suspected bandits have reportedly attacked a community on Saturday night killing 14 people and leaving several injured in Kaya, a village in the Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The incident is reported to have occurred at about 6:30 p.m. The bandits, said to be on a revenge mission, stormed the village leaving behind several casualties, setting vehicles ablaze and leaving residents jittery.
A man who identified himself as Suleiman, gave an account of the incident explaining how earlier on Friday, some vigilantes in the community killed some of the bandits who attacked a neighboring village.
”The bandits attacked our village in revenge of the killings of their members by our vigilante after abducting and killing one person on 1 and 2 January. So they returned in the night on Saturday in their large numbers on motorcycles and killed 14 people.” he said.
The Kaduna Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, Samuel Aruwan confirmed the incident in a statement describing the attack as ‘counter killings’.
He gave the names of the casualties as Hudu Shafiu, Madaro Madaki, Ibrahim Hamida, Ibrahim Mohammed Maidoya, Kabiru Maitakalmi, Ibrahim Kayawa, Danladi Daiyabu, Zubairu Mailemu, Awwalu Yahaya, Audu Sarkar and Maharazu Adamu.
He further stated that unidentified corpses were also recovered and were said to be drivers in transit from Funtua, Katsina State. The injured who sustained bullet wounds are currently receiving medical attention at the Ahmadu Bello University Teaching Hospital (ABUTH) Shika, Zaria.
He said the bandits were fiercely pursued by a combined team of volunteers from Kaya, and from Hayin Kaura village of Katsina State.
The commissioner stated that the Governor, Nasir El-Rufai expressed deep concern, and tasked security agencies to carry out extensive investigations into the circumstances leading to the killings.
He added that the Governor appealed for recourse to the law as the main solution to the violence, killings and counter-killings by the aggrieved groups and Individuals.
