Gunman kills four, injures eight at Christmas carol service in Kaduna

An unidentified gunman on Friday night attacked Nimdem Village in Jema’ah Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing four persons and injuring eight others.

Our correspondent gathered that the armed man struck at a time when the villagers were observing a Christmas carol service at the village square.

The spokesperson for Operation Safe Haven, Colonel I.K. Ekpeyong, confirmed the incident in a statement on Saturday.

Ekpeyong said corpses of the deceased had been deposited in a mortuary, while the eight persons who sustained various degrees of gunshot injuries were taken to the Kafanchan General Hospital for treatment.

He added that some people suspected to be the masterminds of the attack had been arrested and brought in for interrogation, while more troops had been deployed in the area to avert either a fresh attack or a reprisal.

The statement read, “On 22 December 2017, at about 9pm, troops of the Operation Save Haven responded to a distress call on an attack at Nindem Village in Godogodo District, Jema’ah LGA of Kaduna State by a gunman. Four persons were confirmed dead, while eight others sustained various degrees of injuries.”

Meanwhile, the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai has condemned the attack.

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Samuel Aruwan, the governor urged residents of the area to remain calm.

“The Kaduna State Government has condemned the Friday night attack on Nindem village, Jema’ah Local Government Area. The hard-won peace in the area must be sustained and the culprits must be arrested and prosecuted.

“Government commiserates with the families of the victims in this sad moment. The grief and pain these acts of violence leave in their wake can be devastating. It is important that all communities stand firm against any threat to peace, and reject those who might want to carry out a repeat of the terrible events of December 2016.”

The governor urged the people to remain calm as security forces have started taking actions to restore peace and stability.

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