A deadly attack by armed bandits disrupted a wedding celebration in Kahir village, located in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State, leaving at least 13 people dead and several others abducted, while scores of others were injured.
Police authorities in the state have confirmed the incident, saying that they are still gathering full details, including the number of abducted victims.
According to a community leader, Musa Adamu, the incident occurred around 11:47 p.m. on Sunday.
He said the attackers, who arrived in large numbers and were armed with sophisticated weapons, stormed the venue and began shooting indiscriminately at guests inside the hall.
Several attendees sustained gunshot injuries and were rushed to the General Hospital in Kagarko, while those with more critical wounds were referred to facilities in Kaduna.
Residents said the gunmen operated for nearly an hour without resistance. During that time, they reportedly looted nearby shops, making away with food items, provisions, and drugs from a local chemist.
A manhunt for the attackers has also commenced with a view to arresting them and bringing them to justice, according to Police authorities.
Kaduna is one of the states in the North-West that has been under the siege of gunmen known as bandits.
Other states include Sokoto, Kaduna, Kebbi, Zamfara, and Katsina.
Apart from bandits, another terror group – Lakurawa – has been blamed for many of the attacks on communities in parts of Kebbi and Sokoto states.
Its members stage raids from their forest base, rustling livestock and imposing “taxes” on locals.
The Federal Government, in collaboration with the United States military, carried out an air strike in Sokoto last Christmas that had targeted members of the group and “bandit” gangs.
Nigeria is also grappling with other armed groups that have compounded its security challenges in the north of the country.
Military crackdowns have yielded few results.
The conflict has spread to neighbouring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, prompting the formation of a regional military coalition to fight these groups.
But the coalition has lost steam in recent years after the withdrawal of Niger due to a diplomatic spat with Nigeria following a 2023 military coup in Niger.
Earlier this month, the United States began deploying troops to Nigeria to provide technical and training support to the country’s soldiers in fighting the jihadist groups.
The US Africa Command said 200 troops were expected to join the deployment overall.
