Eight children were among at least 30 people killed in an attack by suspected Fulani Islamists on a Christian community in Kaduna Strate in Nigeria’s Middle Belt on Sunday 26 July.
The assailants attacked the village of Naridon in Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area (LGA), at around 11 pm.
Several others were injured, four of them critically, and numerous properties were destroyed in the assault.
One of the burnt buildings in Naridon village [Image credit: Nigeria Stories/X]
“We are afraid the death toll may rise because some of the injured are in critical condition,” said the Secretary to the Village Head of Naridon, Dogon Rana.
“There is someone in this village who lost five children in one night,” he added. “The only surviving child is critically injured and fighting for his life.
“This is a tragedy that has thrown the entire community into mourning.”
Security forces fail to respond
One resident also claimed that, despite the attack lasting for about three hours, security forces stationed less than a mile from Naridon failed to respond.
Rana attributed the high casualty figure partly to the absence of an effective access road, saying that the poor road surface had delayed emergency response and prevented residents from escaping the scene.
Read more: Nineteen thousand Nigerian Christians killed by Islamists in just six years
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, in a statement issued the following day, described the incident as tragic and directed security agencies “to intensify operations to apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice”. The government reaffirmed a commitment to working with the government of Plateau State to “restore lasting peace and protect lives and property along the Kaduna–Plateau border”.
Naridon is on the border between Kaduna and Plateau, two of the states most severely affected by Fulani Islamist militia.
The incident comes just a few weeks after 39 Christians were killed by suspected Fulani terrorists in Middle Belt communities, including nine Christians in the village of Unguwan Magaji, Kaura LGA, southern Kaduna.
How you can pray
Cry out to the Lord on behalf of those bereaved in this horrific attack in Kaduna State. Pray that an overwhelming assurance of the Lord’s strength, support and comforting presence in the midst of their grief and pain will be realised with measures that achieve lasting peace.
