The bodies of the victims were laid out on the ground and covered in brightly coloured fabrics as mourners gathered around them
ABUJA, July 22 (NNN-AGENCIES) — Gunmen killed 18 guests at a wedding celebration in northern Nigeria‘s Kaduna state.
The armed men arrived on motorcycles and stormed Kukum-Daji village in Kaura district before opening fire on the guests at 10.35pm on Sunday.
‘The gunmen killed 18 people at the wedding party and injured 30 others, most of them young men,’ said Bege Katuka Ayuba, the administrative head of the district.
‘Fifteen died on the spot while three more died at the hospital,’ he said.
It was not immediately clear who was behind the attack but the area has recently been a hotbed of deadly violence between Muslim Fulani herders and ethnic Christian farmers.
The mainly-Christian Southern Kaduna area has been wracked by a long-standing dispute between farmers and herders over grazing and water rights.
There has been an upsurge in tit-for-tat killings between the two groups in recent times, prompting the state authorities to initiate an unsuccessful truce.
A community leader said 30 people who sustained serious injuries were taken to Throne Room Hospital, Kafanchan, St. Gerald Hospital and Barau Dikko Specialist Hospital in Kaduna.
‘The attack took place around 10pm and lasted for about an hour. The herdsmen came in a convoy of motorcycles and they were armed with guns,’ he said.
‘We had a wedding earlier in the day and the youth continued with celebrations into the night. Everybody here is enraged by this attack.’
Some villagers are believed to be missing and security forces have been drafted to the area.
Community leader Jonathan Asake said that the gunmen opened fire on the party-goers as they danced to loud music in an open compound during the wedding celebrations.
He said 15 people died on the spot, then three others died while receiving treatment in a hospital.
The bride and groom escaped unhurt.
The gunmen fled immediately after the raid.
Police spokesperson for Kaduna state Muhammad Jalinge said hat no arrests have been made.
It’s not yet clear who was behind the attack, but criminal gangs on bikes have been attacking communities in several states in north-west Nigeria, killing or kidnapping people for ransom as well as stealing livestock.
On Saturday, at least 16 military personnel including three senior officers were reportedly killed as troops advanced on a notorious camp for criminal gangs inside a forest in neighbouring Katsina state.
More than 8,000 people have been killed there over the last decade.
Military operations and the offer of an amnesty have failed to stop the violence. — NNN-AGENCIES
