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LBy Lizzy Chirkpi
Late Tuesday night, suspected herdsmen invaded three suburban communities Jantsauni, Mai Doki, and Maiyamma all in Yarkasuwa, Kurama Chiefdom, Lere Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
The coordinated attacks, which began around 10 p.m., left four young men dead and at least twelve residents, including an ECWA pastor, Rev. Istifanus Dunga, abducted.
Confirming the incident on Wednesday, the National Publicity Secretary of the Federated Kurama Association, Mr. Pius Agaji Kyauta on Wednesday told the press that the assault was “a tragedy that caused panic and fear in our communities beyond imagination.”
He said the assailants stormed the villages in large numbers, shooting sporadically and terrorizing residents.
“They came at night, firing without restraint. Four of our young men were killed, and several others were taken away, including Rev. Dunga. We urgently need security intervention,” Kyauta said.
A local resident recounted the horrifying scene, saying his father and younger sister were kidnapped in the middle of the night.
“My father was taken away without his clothes, together with my younger sister. They surrounded every house. You dare not run; they will shoot you. And if you hide inside, they will break in and take you,” he said.
The victims killed in the attack were reportedly youths aged between 27 and 30 years. As of press time, no ransom demands had been made by the kidnappers.
Kyauta lamented that the Kurama communities are now plunged into mourning, calling the incident “an evil that has befallen the Kurama nation,” and urging both security and spiritual intervention to restore peace.
The latest assault adds to growing international outrage over the Nigerian government’s failure to protect vulnerable communities, particularly in Christian-dominated rural areas repeatedly targeted by armed groups.
Amid renewed global concerns over rising insecurity and religiously targeted violence in Nigeria the nation has suffered yet another brutal blow.