KADUNA — Amnesty International has strongly condemned the killing of at least 30 people in an attack by gunmen last night on Naridon Village in Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
According to the rights group, dozens of people who tried to escape were pursued into the bush and slaughtered.
‘Entire Families Slaughtered In Their Bedrooms’
The community has declared many people missing, with efforts ongoing to ascertain the full death toll as more bodies are being discovered in homes and nearby farms.
“Gory images obtained by Amnesty International show entire families locked up and slaughtered inside their bedrooms. Children had their throats slit and their heads left with massive cuts. There was blood on beds, in kitchens and on the trails of those bleeding while trying to escape,” the organisation stated.
Amnesty described the attack as “perhaps one of the deadliest on southern Kaduna villages.” It noted that some villages in the area have experienced such attacks more than 5 times, and that more villages are now deserted due to fear of further attacks.
‘Evidence Of Failure To Protect’
The group said the spate of killings is evidence of failure by authorities to protect citizens, adding that the inability to bring attackers to justice is fueling impunity.
“The government has an obligation to protect its population. The rising death toll in southern Kaduna shows just how badly the authorities are failing in this responsibility,” Amnesty stated.
The condemnation comes despite President Bola Tinubu’s claim that he has “repeatedly tasked security agencies to end the killings so that rural communities can go to bed with their eyes closed.”
“But clearly nothing has changed,” Amnesty added.
Southern Kaduna has for years been plagued by cycles of attacks and reprisals, with rural communities bearing the brunt. The latest killings in Naridon add to growing calls for urgent security intervention in the area.
