Unknown gunmen attacked the Bundu-Kahugu community in Lere Local Government Area late Wednesday night, killing four residents and injuring seven others, local sources confirmed.
The assailants, whose identities remain unknown, stormed the usually peaceful village under the cover of darkness, opening fire on homes and anyone who crossed their path, according to residents who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Those confirmed killed in the attack include Apolos Emmanuel (19), Wilas Yahaya (25), Darius Sunday (12) and Nehemiah Jonathan (25). The victims were reportedly shot as they attempted to flee the advancing gunmen.
Seven others were left with varying degrees of gunshot wounds and rushed to nearby health facilities for treatment. They have been identified as: Andrew Soda (40), Dominic Audu (37), Nabal Gagare (34), Cornelius Emmanuel (18), Francis Danzaria (36), Sani Dini (19) and Pius Aminu (20).
A resident who escaped the attack described the scene as “chaos,” noting that the gunmen moved swiftly and without warning. “They came shooting sporadically. It was difficult to know where to run,” the source said.
The incident has plunged Bundu-Kahugu, part of the Kahugu nation, into mourning, with mourners gathering at the village square on Thursday to grieve the slain. Villagers described the area as “traditionally peaceful,” with little history of communal clashes or inter-village violence.
Community elders also raised alarm over what they fear could be a resurgence of armed raids in parts of southern Kaduna, calling on federal and state authorities to urgently intervene to prevent further bloodshed. “We are living in fear; this cannot continue,” one elder said.
Efforts to obtain an official response from the Kaduna State Police Command were unsuccessful at press time. Calls and messages to the Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Mansir Hussaini, were not immediately returned.
The attack in Bundu-Kahugu comes amid a broader backdrop of insecurity across parts of Kaduna State, where armed groups, often labelled bandits by authorities have been responsible for multiple assaults, abductions and killings over the past several years. Other communities, such as those in Kauru and Birnin Gwari Local Government Areas, have reported similar attacks with significant casualty figures.
As residents bury their dead and tend to the wounded, calls are growing for improved security presence and targeted operations to stem the violence that continues to destabilise rural areas across northwest Nigeria.
