Suspected bandits have attacked a wedding celebration in Kahir village, Kagarko LGA of Kaduna state, killing 13 people and abducting 28 residents.
Emmanuel Musa Kahir, a resident and former special adviser to the Kagarko council chairman, told TheCable that the attackers arrived in large numbers and were armed with “sophisticated weapons” at about 11pm on Saturday.
He said the bandits stormed the venue and opened fire indiscriminately, killing 13 people on the spot.
Kahor said seven people sustained injuries while 28 people were abducted during the attack.
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 abducted persons had yet to be determined, noting that many of those at the event were children.
He also said several shops were looted, with the attackers making away with foodstuffs.
Kahir said that before the attack, a vigilante group in Kuratan, a neighbouring community, had spotted the bandits and sent a warning, advising that the gathering be dispersed.
However, while some attendees fled, others reportedly ignored the warning and were caught in the attack.
“The attack happened on Saturday night at around 11pm. They were celebrating bachelor’s eve party,” he said.
“The bandits were sighted around Kuratan, a neighbouring community. The vigilantes from Kuratan called my village and informed us that bandits had been sighted and the party should be stopped.
”Few of those at the party heeded the advice and ran away; those who ignored the advice were the victims.”
He added that the number of those abducted was still unknown, as the majority of attendees at the party were children.
Kahir said 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 state commissioner of police, had visited the community.
Mansir Hassan, spokesperson of the Kaduna state police command, was not available for comments as of the time of this report.
