Naridon residents mourn after a midnight assault destroyed homes, killed at least 30 people and left survivors demanding stronger security
The Kaduna attack that killed at least 30 people in Naridon community, Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area, has left residents mourning the loss of loved ones, destroyed homes and a family devastated after five siblings were reportedly killed in the violence shortly before midnight.
Also read: US denounces Kaduna attack, urges Nigeria to curb Middle Belt violence
By Monday morning, the quiet farming settlement in Southern Kaduna had been transformed into a landscape of grief.
Smoke rose from the remains of mud houses. Burnt mattresses, twisted roofing sheets, blackened cooking pots and melted plastic containers lay scattered across compounds that had, only hours earlier, been homes where families prepared for another ordinary week.
Instead, residents were forced to confront an extraordinary tragedy.
Women wailed as neighbours helped dig graves. Men who would ordinarily have been preparing for another day of farming were left identifying bodies and comforting grieving families.
Children moved quietly through the ruins, searching for possessions that might have survived the flames.
Several kilometres away, another family was facing its own devastating reality.
Community leaders said five siblings from the same family were killed during the attack, while another child survived with critical injuries and was receiving medical treatment.
The victims were identified by community sources as Deborah Emmanuel, Friday Emmanuel, Yusuf Emmanuel, Yunana Emmanuel and Irimiya Emmanuel.
The circumstances surrounding the reported deaths of the siblings could not be independently verified, and accounts from community leaders differed over whether five or six children from the family were killed.
One community leader, Yunusa Babados, alleged that the family was deliberately targeted.
“In one family, they killed six children and told the parents, ‘We will spare you and kill all your children,’” he said.
Another account from community leaders, however, indicated that one of the six children survived and was critically injured.
For the family, the distinction offers little comfort. One child is now left fighting for life while the loss of the siblings has torn apart a household that had gone to bed expecting nothing more than another Monday.
The attack reportedly began at about 11:55pm on Sunday when armed assailants stormed Naridon and opened fire on residents.
Some villagers fled into nearby bushes. Others were trapped inside their homes as the attackers reportedly set buildings and property ablaze.
By the time the violence ended, at least 30 people had been confirmed dead, according to community leaders.
Three other victims had yet to be formally identified when the casualty list was compiled.
The list included Geoffrey Monday, Maria Pius, Ladi Monday, Tabawa Monday, Guntu Balla, Enock Balla, Markus Gashi, Mariyamu Joseph, Maria Istifanus, Nuhu Bulus, Bulus Markus, Ayalla Markus, Monday Danladi, Kaka Umaru, Gundumi Umaru, Joy Ali, Dominion Danladi, Danladi Ibrahim, Mama Ibrahim, Deborah Emmanuel, Friday Emmanuel, Yusuf Emmanuel, Yunana Emmanuel, Irimiya Emmanuel, Pheobe Markus, Saviour Monday, Audi Musa and Sunday Yakubu.
Behind every name is a family now facing an absence that cannot easily be explained away by statistics.
Dogon Rana, secretary to the village head of Naridon, said the community was still trying to establish the full extent of the losses.
“We are still searching,” he said. “Some people are injured while others are still missing.”
Rana was also among those whose property was destroyed.
“My own property was destroyed,” he said. “Many houses and shops were burnt.”
The destruction extended beyond homes to shops and other businesses, leaving residents facing the prospect of rebuilding their livelihoods alongside their lives.
Among the properties reportedly destroyed was the residence of the late Hosea Garba, as well as shops belonging to local traders.
Residents also raised concerns about the condition of the road leading into Naridon, arguing that the poor access route hindered the ability of security personnel and emergency responders to reach the community quickly.
“If there was a good road, security personnel could have arrived earlier,” Rana lamented.
One resident, who spoke anonymously because of security concerns, claimed the attackers operated for almost three hours while villagers waited in fear for help.
The resident also alleged that military formations were located in nearby Kamaru and Ungwan Magaji but said no intervention came before the attackers withdrew.
The claim could not be independently verified.
The resident further alleged that about 22 members of the Rana family were killed, although community leaders and authorities had yet to independently confirm the figure.
The allegations have nevertheless intensified long-standing concerns about the vulnerability of rural communities in Southern Kaduna, where poor roads, limited security presence and difficult terrain can complicate emergency responses.
The Kaduna attack has also renewed attention on the wider security crisis affecting parts of the state and neighbouring communities.
Southern Kaduna has experienced repeated outbreaks of violence over the past decade, with communities in Kauru, Kajuru, Chikun and Zangon Kataf among those affected by attacks, displacement and the destruction of homes and livelihoods.
The latest violence prompted condemnation from government officials and civil society organisations.
President Bola Tinubu directed security agencies to intensify operations in the affected areas and track down those responsible.
“I have directed the Armed Forces, police and relevant intelligence agencies to intensify operations across the affected areas to swiftly track down the perpetrators, secure the release of abducted individuals and restore normalcy to the region,” Tinubu said through his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga.
Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani also condemned the killings and directed security agencies to strengthen operations around the affected communities.
Through the Commissioner for Information, Ahmed Maiyaki, Sani ordered the Kaduna State Emergency Management Agency to provide immediate humanitarian assistance to displaced residents.
The governor also pledged closer cooperation with neighbouring Plateau State, security agencies and traditional institutions to improve security along the Kaduna-Plateau border.
The Peoples Democratic Party governorship candidate in Kaduna State, Usman Shehu Bawa, popularly known as Shehu ABG, described the killings as “a horrifying act of barbarity” and called for a comprehensive investigation and the prosecution of those responsible.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also condemned the killings, arguing that meaningful development would remain difficult while Nigerians continued to lose their lives in their homes.
Amnesty International described the incident as one of the deadliest attacks on communities in Southern Kaduna in recent years and called for a thorough investigation.
The Southern Kaduna Peoples’ Union also urged authorities to strengthen intelligence-led policing, improve surveillance around farming communities and respond more quickly to distress calls.
The organisation argued that security agencies must do more than respond after attacks. Communities, it said, need preventive measures capable of stopping violence before it begins.
Security analyst Mohammed Ali similarly emphasised the importance of intelligence gathering, arguing that timely information could help authorities disrupt attacks before armed groups reach vulnerable communities.
He identified Kauru, Kajuru, Chikun and Kachia as areas requiring sustained intelligence-led security operations, while linking recurring violence to criminal economies involving ransom payments and cattle rustling.
The Naridon tragedy comes only weeks after 19 northern governors launched the Northern Nigeria Security Trust Fund in Kaduna, with a pledge of N1bn in monthly contributions to strengthen regional security coordination.
The latest attack, however, has renewed questions about how quickly such initiatives can translate into protection for communities living far from major urban centres.
For Naridon residents, the demands are immediate and deeply practical.
They want safer roads that allow security personnel and emergency workers to reach them quickly. They want a visible security presence.
They want investigations that lead to arrests and prosecutions.
And they want to be able to sleep without wondering whether the next sound they hear will be gunfire.
The challenge now extends beyond securing the community.
Families who lost relatives will need sustained humanitarian assistance. Survivors may require medical care and psychological support.
Children who have lost parents or siblings will need help returning to school, while traders and farmers whose livelihoods were destroyed will need support to rebuild.
For the child who survived the attack while five siblings were reportedly killed, the road ahead is likely to be particularly difficult.
That child is not only recovering from critical injuries but is also facing the loss of brothers and sisters whose absence will shape the rest of a young life.
Naridon will eventually have to rebuild.
The burnt homes will need to be replaced. The fields will have to be cultivated again. Shops will have to reopen, and children will eventually return to school.
But rebuilding walls will not erase the memory of the night violence came to the community.
For the families burying their loved ones, justice will matter as much as reconstruction.
For the survivors, lasting security will matter even more.
Also read: Kaduna earns excellent ranking as Nigeria’s third-best state
And for the child fighting for life in a hospital ward, the hope of recovery now carries the weight of an entire family’s shattered future.
Victory Emmanuel is a journalist and contributor to Freelanews.com, covering news, business, and public affairs.
