By Luka Binniyat and Lawrence Zongo
At least seven Christians were killed and 12 wounded during a night attack on Nti Roku—also known locally as Angwan Rimi—in the Kamaru area of Southern Kaduna on Sunday, August 24, 2025.
The hamlet, populated by members of the Irigwe ethnic group, lies near the Eastern Kaduna border with Plateau State, where majority-Christian farming communities have been pounded for years by Fulani ethnic militias (FEM).
The attack began around 7 p.m., when villagers had gathered at a small shop to charge their phones and to socialize. Witnesses told TruthNigeria three men stormed the area: one carrying a rifle, the other two wielding machetes. Within minutes, gunfire and screams pierced the evening calm. By the time the assailants fled, seven people, chiefly women and children, lay dead.
The wounded included children as young as six months old. Several are still receiving treatment in local clinics with limited capacity. Five remain in critical condition.
Eyewitness Accounts
Community members described the incident as sudden and devastating. “It was a surprise attack. We never expected it,” said Ezekiel Isa, leader of the local Community Watchmen. “The people attacked were innocent villagers relaxing in an eatery. The attackers came quickly, killed, and left within 30 minutes.” Isa added that residents are prepared to defend themselves if given the means. “We are ready to face them if we have arms,” he said, alluding to the fact that Nigerian soldiers routinely arrest citizens who have homemade shotguns, unless they have written permits.
Another villager, Friday Daro, a volunteer with the International Committee on Nigeria (ICON), explained how poor infrastructure worsened the situation.
“The bad road to the community delayed the arrival of soldiers,” he told TruthNigeria. “There are no good medical facilities to care for the survivors. Up to now, no Fulani attacker has been arrested, and no government official has issued a statement condemning the attack.”
Rumors circulated among locals that some attackers had been detained, but residents expressed doubt that justice would follow. “Even if they arrest them, they will be released,” Daro said. “Fulani are powerful in Nigeria. They have money and influence,” he added.
Silence from Authorities
As of the time of reporting, no statement has been issued by federal or state authorities regarding the killings. The silence has deepened frustration among the Irigwe community, who say repeated attacks on their villages are often met with indifference.
The Irigwe Development Association (IDA) confirmed the casualty figures and appealed for calm. “We condole with the Rigwe nation over these unprovoked assaults,” said Jugo. “We ask our people to exercise restraint and allow law enforcement agencies to apprehend the culprits and dispense justice appropriately.” The association’s vice president, Musa Audu, visited the community to console bereaved families.
The Irigwe, also known as “Rigwe,” are an ethnic minority in Nigeria’s Middle Belt, which is predominantly Christian. Most of the citizens of Bassa County are Irigwe Christians who have smaller enclaves in neighboring Kaduna State. The Irigwe farmers have faced repeated bloody attacks during the last 10 years by armed Fulani herders who graze cattle across central Nigeria.
Many Irigwe accuse Fulani militias of attempting to drive them from ancestral farmlands through systematic attacks. Human rights groups and local monitors have documented dozens of assaults in which entire villages were burned, crops destroyed, and residents killed or displaced.
Angwan Rimi, the site of Sunday’s attack, is a small hamlet under Kamaru Ward in Southern Kaduna. Though administratively located in Kaduna State, it is home to Irigwe families who maintain close ties to their kin in Plateau State. The area has been targeted before. Residents say their location on the edge of both Plateau and Kaduna makes them particularly vulnerable to surprise raids.
Reports reaching TruthNigeria indicate that FEM are massing at a hilly environment in Plateau State’s Bassa County bordering Irigwe communities in Southern Kaduna, apparently for planned attacks on the Irigwe villages in Kaduna.
According to an IDA press release, “The leadership of Irigwe Development Association, Kamaru Branch, condemned this wicked act and called on all communities to rise and defend themselves and their communities.
“The leadership hereby calls the attention of security agencies to rise up and do the needful.”
“The Irigwe who also live in Bassa County have alerted our people in Kauru County (Kaduna) that the Fulani are paired on motorbikes from Bahit, Zagum and Binchi and gathering around a hill on the border with Kauru,” an official of Irigwe Development Association informed TruthNigeria Monday.
“Any time that they are gathering like this, we usually witness horrible attacks, and this may not be different,” he said.
“I have already alerted the Chairman of Kauru Local Government Area (County). He told me that he has also informed the Operation Safe Haven (a military counter-terrorism force joined with paramilitary troops stationed in strategic areas of Plateau and Kaduna State).
“We always don’t have confidence in the military. But we are alerting our people to always be vigilant,” he said.
This latest incident adds to a growing list of deadly attacks in Nigeria’s Middle Belt. In August alone, multiple communities in Plateau and Kaduna states reported killings linked to Fulani militias. Survivors often point to the same cycle: sudden raids, delayed military response, limited medical aid, and few, if any, arrests.
Luka Binniyat and Lawrence Zongo are conflict reporters for TruthNigeria.
