By Ayomide Otitoju
At least 13 people were killed and several others abducted after armed bandits attacked a wedding celebration in Kahir village, Kaduna State, on Sunday night. Scores of guests sustained injuries during the assault, local authorities confirmed.
Police said they are still gathering full details, including the exact number of abducted victims. According to a community leader, Musa Adamu, the attackers arrived in large numbers around 11:47 p.m., armed with sophisticated weapons, and opened fire indiscriminately on guests.
Several of the injured were rushed to the General Hospital in Kagarko, while those with critical wounds were referred to medical facilities in Kaduna. Residents reported that the gunmen operated for nearly an hour, looting nearby shops, including a local chemist, before fleeing.
A manhunt for the perpetrators has been launched, according to Kaduna police authorities.
Kaduna is among several North-Western states plagued by violent banditry, alongside Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, and Katsina. In parts of Kebbi and Sokoto, attacks have also been linked to the terror group Lakurawa, which conducts raids from forest bases, rustles livestock, and imposes informal levies on communities.
The Nigerian government, in coordination with the United States military, carried out an airstrike in Sokoto last Christmas targeting Lakurawa and other bandit gangs. Despite ongoing military operations, including recent US troop deployments to provide technical and training support, insecurity in northern Nigeria persists and has spilled into neighbouring Niger, Chad, and Cameroon, prompting regional coalition efforts that have slowed following Niger’s withdrawal after a 2023 military coup.
The Kaduna wedding attack underscores the ongoing security challenges facing communities in the North-West, where civilians remain vulnerable to armed groups.
