ABUJA: Gunmen suspected to be Fulani herders attacked a farming village in Kaduna state of northwest Nigeria, killing at least 33 people, including women and children.
The attackers stormed Runji village in Zangon Kataf district on Saturday, opening fire on residents and burning more than 40 houses as people tried to flee. The attack happened three days after a similar assault in the nearby Atak’Njei community killed eight people.
Francis Sani, administrative head for the Zangon Kataf area, confirmed the attack and told AFP that the attackers were no doubt Fulani herdsmen. Soldiers and vigilantes were able to confront the attackers before they fled. Six people were injured in the attack.
Kaduna state internal security affairs commissioner Samuel Aruwan confirmed the attack and said that “several lives were lost” without giving details. He condemned the attack as “unacceptable and unjustifiable.”
The Zangon Kataf area, which lies in predominantly Christian Southern Kaduna, is a hotbed of tit-for-tat flare-ups between Fulani herders and pastoral farmers.
Nigeria Conflict
The conflict has been ongoing for several years over grazing and water rights but has now spiralled into broader criminality, with gangs of so-called bandits, mostly herders, carrying out deadly raids on villages to rob livestock, kidnap for ransom, and burn homes after looting them.
Authorities and security analysts have expressed serious concern over alliances between the bandits, who are motivated by financial gains, and jihadists waging a 14-year-old insurgency in the northeast.
The conflict has killed nearly 40,000 people and displaced over two million more since 2009.
The recent attacks have highlighted the insecurity in the country, and President-elect Bola Tinubu will face a major challenge in addressing the issue. Tinubu won the presidential ballot in February, which was marred by technical problems and opposition claims of vote-rigging.
The state authorities have attempted peace negotiations to stop the ongoing conflict, but the increase in tit-for-tat killings between the vigilante groups set by local communities and bandits has made the situation worse.
