In a tragic turn of events on Tuesday night, terrorists carried out a deadly assault, claiming the lives of six individuals within the peaceful community of Takanai, situated in the heart of Atyap Chiefdom, Zango Kataf Local Government Area, Kaduna State.

This horrifying incident unfolded merely five days after an earlier attack in Kaura, where a woman lost her life, and two of her children were forcibly abducted.

Mr. Samson Markus, the acting Secretary to the District Head of Takanai, grimly confirmed the unfolding tragedy to The PUNCH on Wednesday. According to Markus, the assailants struck the village around 7:00 PM, unleashing a barrage of gunfire. Tragically, this onslaught claimed four lives within a single compound and two more from a different family. Shockingly, among the victims were two innocent children.

Markus recounted the harrowing experience, saying, “We were going about our normal businesses when we heard gunshots. Initially, we mistook it for a military presence, but to our dismay, it was the Fulani assailants who had infiltrated from Zango Urban.” Before the arrival of the military, the attackers had ruthlessly taken six lives, including those of two children. Their departure only ensued after the military’s intervention, which prompted the assailants to flee into the nearby hills, leaving the community reeling in shock.

Expressing deep distress over the recurring cycle of violence, Markus lamented, “It’s unfortunate that such tragic incidents persist in our villages, despite our hopes for a return to normalcy. We earnestly implore the government and the military to intensify their efforts and decisively confront these terrorists who invade our villages, ruthlessly claiming the lives of innocent people.”

Notably, at the time of compiling this report, repeated attempts to contact the Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Jalige, went unanswered, leaving numerous questions surrounding the incident unanswered and underscoring the urgency of addressing this ongoing crisis.