From Sola Ojo, Abuja
At least seven locales, including worshippers have been killed and several others abducted yesterday, after suspected terrorists attacked Ariko community in Kachia and Maro Sarki Kajuru Local governments of Kaduna State.
The attackers reportedly stormed the areas in the early hours of Easter Sunday, targeting First Evangelical Church Winning All (ECW) and St. Augustine Catholic Church, Ariko, where they allegedly killed three persons and took away unspecified number of victims into the bush.
At Maro Sarki, Maro Ward of Kajuru, they allegedly killed four persons and abducted about 10 others. The Awon Ward Councillor, Mark Bawa, who confirmed the incident, said casualty figures were still being verified.
He noted that reports ranged between seven and eight deaths in Kachia alone.
He added that he was heading to the community to obtain more accurate details as of the time of filing this report.
Bawa explained that the assailants arrived in large numbers, surrounded the community, and operated for an extended period without resistance, raising concerns over the absence of a timely security response.
The latest attacks came just days after the Southern Kaduna Autochthonous Community Development Associations Forum raised the alarm over looming threats by terrorists, militias and bandits targeting communities in Kachia, Chikun, and Kajuru local governments.
In the earlier warning, the Forum had cautioned that similar threats in the past were often ignored and later followed by deadly attacks, including mass killings and abductions. The group also expressed concern over what it described as lack of visible action by federal, state, and local authorities despite intelligence indicating imminent assaults.
Sunday’s incident appears to have reinforced those fears, with residents alleging that no preventive measures were put in place to avert the attack.
Sources in the area said poor telecommunications infrastructure may have delayed distress calls, allowing the attackers to operate for a prolonged period without intervention from security agencies.
The community has since blamed what it described as the failure of authorities to act on prior warnings, arguing that the tragedy could have been prevented if urgent steps had been taken. As of the time of filing this report, there has been no official response from the Kaduna State Police Command and Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs.
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