34 killed in attack on village in northwestern Nigeria

About three dozen people have been killed and several others injured in an attack by a group of heavily-armed gunmen in a village in Nigeria’s northwestern state of Kaduna.

Samuel Aruwan, the state security commissioner, said in a statement on Monday that the attack was carried out in Madamai village late Sunday.

“Unidentified gunmen attacked Madamai village... 34 residents have been confirmed dead following the attack. Seven others sustained injuries,” the official said.

Troops came under fire before forcing the assailants to withdraw after an intense exchange, he added.

Aruwan said two suspects were being questioned in connection with the deadly assault.

Criminal gangs have terrorized northwestern and central Nigeria for years, but they have become more brazen in recent months. The armed gangs across the violence-wracked region repetitively terrorize inhabitants by looting villages, stealing cattle, and taking people hostage. More than 800 students and school children have been abducted in Nigeria for ransom by armed groups since December 2020 alone.

In yet another incident on Sunday, gunmen attacked a church in the Kachia district of Kaduna. “A life was lost and some worshippers were seriously injured,” Aruwan said in a separate statement.

More than 30,000 people have been killed in over a decade of terrorism in Nigeria instigated by the Boko Haram Takfiri group. The reign of terror has spilled over into neighboring Chad, Niger, and Cameroon and has forced more than two million people to flee their homes.

MG