Breaking: Suspected bandits kill residents; kidnap others in early morning attack on Kaduna community

Suspected bandits have reportedly attacked a community in Makarfi Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing several residents and abducting others during a violent raid in the early hours of Monday.

The attack, which caused panic among residents, was said to have occurred near the Zaria axis, with eyewitness accounts and viral videos on social media showing scenes of fear and confusion as gunshots rang out while people fled for safety.

One of the videos circulating online was shared on X (formerly Twitter) by Nuhu Sada, the Social Democratic Party candidate for the Kaduna State House of Assembly.

In a post accompanying the footage, Sada described the incident as a “night of terror,” expressing concern over the worsening security situation in northern Nigeria.

“Night of Terror in Makarfi, Zaria. This young boy watched helplessly as bandits kidnapped his grandmother. Is the North safe?” he wrote.

Another video posted earlier by the same user suggested the attack was still ongoing at the time the footage was recorded.

“Reports say bandits may have attacked Makarfi, Kaduna near Zaria tonight. People are screaming and running for their lives. Our hearts go out to the community. May they stay safe,” the post read.

In one of the clips widely shared online, a young boy recounted how the attackers stormed their residence and assaulted members of his family before abducting his grandmother.

According to the boy, the gunmen demanded phones from members of the household and used violence against some residents during the raid.

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“When they came, my grandmother asked me to give them our phones, which I did,” the boy narrated in the video.

“They slapped the wife of the house and injured another woman with the edge of their gun before taking my grandmother away.”

The boy also revealed that the armed men left the area through the Tashan Maliki direction shortly after carrying out the attack.

Footage from the scene showed residents shouting and running in different directions while gunshots were heard repeatedly in the background.

In one of the videos, a voice could be heard warning residents to remain indoors and avoid moving around the area as the attackers continued their operation.

The incident has heightened fears among residents of the community, many of whom have been grappling with repeated security threats in recent years.

As of the time of filing this report, authorities in Kaduna State had yet to release an official statement regarding the attack.

Security agencies have also not confirmed the exact number of people killed or abducted during the raid.

However, residents say the attack has left the community in shock, with families searching for missing relatives while hoping for swift intervention from security forces.