Gunmen kill at least 30, including eight children, in Nigerian village attack

Gunmen killed at least 30 people, including eight children, in an overnight attack on a farming village in northern Nigeria, residents, a community leader and Amnesty International said on Monday.

The attack took place in Naridon village in Kaduna state. Residents and a local official said the gunmen entered the village at around midnight, fired repeatedly and set houses and shops on fire.

The secretary to village head Dogon Rana told AFP that 30 bodies had been recovered and warned that the death toll could rise because some injured people were in critical condition.

He said several people were still missing.

Resident Rubean James said he escaped with his family through a back door and hid in the bush after hearing gunfire.

James said he could confirm 31 deaths and that other people had been injured.

Another resident, Barnabas Musa, said the attack lasted about three hours and that villagers had recovered at least 30 bodies, including those of women and children.

Community leader Yunusa Babados said eight children were confirmed dead across the village, including six from the same household.

He said the attackers broke into family homes.

Amnesty International said it “strongly condemns” the killing of at least 30 people and described the raid as possibly one of the deadliest attacks on villages in southern Kaduna.

Residents blamed the attack on suspected cattle herders.

They said the gunmen fled into nearby bushes as security forces approached, leaving some cattle near the edge of the village.

The Kaduna state government did not provide a death toll but said it had ordered security agencies to intensify operations to arrest those responsible.

Residents said calm had partially returned after police and military personnel were deployed.

Clashes in Nigeria’s northwestern and northern states have roots in disputes over land between nomadic herders and farming communities.

In some areas, the violence has developed ethnic and religious dimensions, while climate pressures have intensified competition over crops and grazing routes.