Gunmen attacked Kunkurai, Dokan Karji and Angwan Sako villages in Kauru county of Nigeria’s Northwestern State of Kaduna, killing 17 locals and abducting 36 others.
The attack, local press reported, spanned six hours from Tuesday night (Jan. 2) to the early hours of Wednesday (Jan. 3) with no aid coming from the security agents.
Locals had to rally themselves and defend their homes, rescuing 22 of the total 58 persons taken hostage.
Gangs of terrorists, known locally as bandits, have roiled northwest and central Nigeria for years, but they have become more brazen in recent months and the military has renewed operations in the region.
The Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, confirmed the attack, which he called an act of savagery, in a social media post on Jan. 5. “The perpetrators of these heinous crimes have no place in a civilized society like ours. We shall go to any length to hunt them down and bring them to justice,” Governor Sani said.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
