Tragedy struck Kahir village in Kagarko Local Government Area of Kaduna State on Saturday night as bandits attacked a wedding party, killing 13 persons while 28 others were abducted.
The incident was said to have occurred on Saturday around 11 pm.
Emmanuel Musa Kahir, a resident of the community and former Special Adviser to the Council chairman of Kagarko,
disclosed in a telephone interview on Monday that the bandits were in large number and were armed with sophisticated weapons.
He said the bandits invaded the venue of the celebration and opened fire indiscriminately, killing 13 persons on the spot, while seven others sustained injuries.
According to him, six of the injured victims were taken to the General Hospital in Kagarko, while one severely wounded victim was referred to a hospital in Kaduna.
Kahir added that the number of those abducted had yet to be ascertained, noting that many of the victims were children.
Several shops were also looted by the bandits who made away with food stuffs.
According to Kahir, before the attack, a vigilante group in Kuratan, a neighbouring community, had earlier sighted the bandits and sent a warning message advising that the gathering be dispersed.
However, while a few attendees heeded the warning and fled, others reportedly ignored the advice and fell victim to the attack.
He said, “The attack happened on Saturday night at around 11pm. They were celebrating bachelors eve party.
“The bandits were sited around Kuratan, a neighbouring community. The vigilante from Kuratan called my own village and informed that bandits had were sighted and the party should be stopped.
“Few of those at the party heeded the advise and ran away, those who ignored the advise were the victims”
He added that the number of those abducted was yet to be ascertained as majority of those who were at the party were children.
He also disclosed that several government officials, including the council chairman, the Deputy Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, the Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs, and the Kaduna State Commissioner of Police, had visited the community.
When contacted, the spokesperson of the Kaduna State Police Command, Mansir Hassan, said he was in a meeting and requested that a message be sent to his phone.
He had yet to respond to the message as at the time of filing this report.
Bandits attack wedding party in Kaduna community, kill 13, abduct 28 others
