About 50 people have been reported killed by gunmen suspected to be armed bandits in Kerawa, Rago, Marina, Zariyawa, Hashimawa, and Unguwar Barau villages, all of Igabi Local Government Area of Kaduna state at the weekend.
Kaduna State Police Command confirmed the incident, though no casualty figure was given as at press time.
The Police Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Muhammad Jalige told The Nation the casualty figure was yet unknown.
ASP Jalige, who spoke to our correspondent 7:20am on Monday, said the contingent of the Commissioner of Police was on the way to the affected villages to assess the situation.
According to him: “Yes, there was an attack. In fact, as we speak, I am in the entourage of the Commissioner of Police. We are going to the scene. When we come back, I will get back to you”.
Sources from Igabi told our correspondent that, over 50 persons, including children, Almajiri, women and aged were hacked to death by the bandits.
A source from the area said, the killers came to revenge attacks launched against them by the security forces who bombarded the bandits camps in the neighboring Birnin-Gwari local government area few weeks
According the source: “If you remember, few weeks ago, Policemen raided the bandits’ camp and killed over 200 of them. Soldiers and Air Force also attacked the bandits few days ago and they also killed many of them.
“So, these people believe we are the ones giving the security operatives information about their movement and camps. Some of the villagers who escaped from the attackers said, the bandits were saying it in Hausa language that, the villagers were ones reporting them to the security.
“I don’t live in any of those villages, but people often run from some of the villages to take refuge here.
“The villages have actually been suffering in the hands of the bandits for a long time. They invade the villages and kidnap people unchallenged. That is why they became the first suspects to the bandits.”
Meanwhile, the Hausa Service of the Voice of America in its 6:00am news bulletin, reported that over 50 persons where killed in the attack.
A native who was interviewed in the report, said there was heavy presence of the police in the area after the grousome attack.
The villager alleged while the attack was on, a plane presumably on reconnaissance duty was sighted hovering above the sky.
According to him: “What happened was unprecedented. We have never seen such kind of horror in our lives.
“These killers are Boko Haram. They stormed our village killing indiscriminately, they spared nobody, the young, the old, even Almajiris were not spared.
“They continued to shoot people, setting fire on the dead and on property. It was extremely horrific!’ They went from one room to the other, a man and his children were killed, even new born babies.
“We have over 50 dead now, we are yet to bury them. It will take hours to bury the dead.
“We are appealing to the Federal Government to please, pay attention to the situation in Igabi Local Government Area, especially Igabi west.
“President Buhari should come to our rescue. Please deploy security agents that can do this work, those earlier stationed here never stayed.
“We all must die one day and return to Almighty Allah, even the bandits were saying so. Therefore, the government should fear Allah. We are in a terrible situation.
“If we start this funeral now, we will not finish till midnight. We saw a plane, but it just passed like it was flying to Makkah.”
“These killers are not just bandits, they are Boko Haram, they did not steal anything, they just killed and burnt peoples’ belongings.”
