Daredevil bandits, on Tuesday night, launched a d3adly attack on Tsohuwan Gayan village in Kaduna State’s Chikun Local Government Area, killing four residents.
Two others sustained injuries and were rushed to an undisclosed hospital in Kaduna town for treatment.
A local source who assisted in the burial of the victims described the assailants as heavily armed and executing a well-coordinated assault.
According to the source, the victims’ bodies were riddled with bullets, and two survivors, initially presumed dead, were later found to be alive after the attackers had left.
Residents of the village remain in fear of a potential return by the assailants, who accused them of collaborating with security forces.
A similar attack occurred last Friday in Zakada village, Kauru Local Government Area, where heavily armed bandits k!lled seven locals and abducted several others.
A distraught resident of Kauru, Muhammad Sani, confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters.
It was also reported that several houses were set ablaze and properties looted by the armed assailants.
According to sources, there is an alleged media blackout on violent crimes in the area to avoid contradicting government claims of a peace agreement with bandits.
Down South in Ebonyi State, suspected herdsmen carried out a fresh assault on villages in the Nkalaha community of Ishielu Local Government Area, Ebonyi State, triggering widespread panic and displacement.
The latest attack occurred just three days after an assault on Amegu village, which left at least 16 people d3ad and 25 houses destroyed.
Amid the escalating violence, residents of Amaokwe, Umeleha, and Amegu villages have been fleeing to neighboring areas such as Amazezegba and Nigercem.
It was learned that the Wednesday attack began shortly after a team of police officers and operatives from the state security outfit, Ebube-Agu, had visited the community.
The exact cause of the latest attack remains unclear, but gunfire was still ongoing at the time of reporting.
A local resident, Samuel Edeze, who was stranded in Amazezegba due to the crisis, recounted his experience.
“I went to Nkalagu this morning, and on my return, I saw hundreds of residents fleeing their homes. I was stuck at Amazezegba, from where I am calling you now. People said that as soon as security operatives left the community, gunshots started in Amaokwe and Umeleha villages. Our people, who had already fled to those villages, are now running again,” he said.
Edeze described the situation as dire, noting that even officials from the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), who were en route to deliver relief materials to Amegu village, had to retreat for safety.
He appealed to the Ebonyi State government to take decisive action, stressing that protecting lives and property should be a top priority.