3 dead, 8 Injured As Cattle Rustlers Storm Kaduna During Friday Prayer

There was confusion in Kuriga village in Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna State Friday afternoon after suspected cattle rustlers attacked the community.

Residents said three people were killed and eight others injured in the attack. The wounded were receiving treatment at a hospital in the village at the time of this report.

However, the State Commissioner of Police, Austin Iwar, said only two persons died in the attack.

“No,two killed, eight injured. Community attacked when they were all in the mosque,” a text message he sent to PREMIUM TIMES read.

This newspaper learnt that the attackers stormed the town around 2 p.m. when residents were performing the Friday Jumat prayer.

Kuriga shares boundary with troubled Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.

It was gathered that the attackers stormed the village shooting sporadically.

The District Head of Gwagwada community in the area, Shittu Abdullahi, confirmed the attack and death of three people.

“We were at the mosque for Friday prayers when we heard gun shots,” he said. “Worshipers started running for safety.”

“We didn’t pray Jumat today because we all ran away to safe our lives. In fact as we speak, three bodies were recovered; the injured are in the hospital,” he told PREMIUM TIMES by phone.

The district head said that the attackers told women they saw running not to because they were there to rustle cows only.

“They asked our women to stop running because they only came to take our cows,” he said.

Security officials and of vigilantes reportedly went after the attackers after they left the village.

Kaduna has witnessed attacks on some communities by armed persons and bandits who have killed scores of people in 2018.

Most of the recent killings were in Birnin-Gwari area where a new army battalion was recently placed to deal with the armed men.

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