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• Atiku: It’s reminder of FG’s failure to secure lives
• Enough is enough, SOKAPU writes gov, police
From Sola Ojo, Abuja and Noah Ebije, Kaduna
Angry reactions and wild condemnations have trailed the killing of 30 persons including women and children by gunmen who attacked Naridon (Kizakoro) community in Kamaru Ward of Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar said the killings was a reminder of the failure of the President Bola Tinubu -led administration to protect lives and property in the country while the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) has appealed to the Commissioner of Police to intensify security operations across Southern Kaduna to stem further killings.
SOKAPU, in an open letter dated July 27, 2026, and signed by its National President, Tabara Samuel Kato, described the continued killings, abductions and destruction of farmlands in Southern Kaduna as “worrisome” and called for decisive action to halt the violence.
Copies of the open letter were also sent to Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani.
The latest attack, which reportedly occurred at about 11:55 pm on Sunday night also left at least three persons injured while houses and shops were razed.
The rationale behind the attack is yet to be unravelled as of the time of filing this report.
Sources in the community said the victims included Geoffrey Monday, Maria Pius, Ladi Monday, Tabawa Monday, Guntu Balla, Enock Balla, Markus Gashi, Mariyamu Joseph, Maria Istifanus, Nuhu Bulus.
Others were Bulus Markus, Ayalla Markus, Monday Danladi, Kaka Umaru, Gundumi Umaru, Joy Ali, Dominion Danladi, Danladi Ibrahim, Mama Ibrahim, Deborah Emmanuel
The remaining were Friday Emmanuel, Yusuf Emmanuel, Yunana Emmanuel, Irimiya Emmanuel, Pheobe Markus, Saviour Monday, Audi Musa and Sunday Yakubu.
Three other residents identified as Comfort Monday, Success Monday and James Emmanuel reportedly sustained varying degrees of injuries during the attack.
The assailants were also said to have set ablaze the house of Mr. Hosea Garba as well as provision shops belonging to Emmanuel Garba, Luka Ahmadu, Monday Markus and Dogo Rana.
As of the time of filing this report, Kaduna State Ministry of Internal Security and Home Affairs and security agencies had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
The latest attack is one of the deadliest in Southern Kaduna in recent months, raising fresh concerns over the sincerity of security efforts in the area.
Atiku, in a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Public, Phrank Shaibu, described the killings as unacceptable, noting that any live lost is an indictment on the Federal Government, which has allegedly failed to secure the country.
Atiku stated that it is worrisome that while Nigerians are mourning the massacre, top government officials are brandishing “an unverified claim of a letter of commendation from the United States Government.”
Atiku, African Democratic Congress (ADC) 2027 presidential candidate, noted that the people of Southern Kaduna and other Nigerians need security and not commendation letter from foreign countries.
According to him, “the reported killing of scores of innocent Nigerians in Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State is heartbreaking and unacceptable. Every life lost is a painful indictment of a government that has repeatedly promised security but continues to preside over an expanding landscape of bloodshed.
“No nation can claim progress when its citizens are hunted down in their homes and communities by criminals who operate with such frightening impunity.
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“It is deeply troubling that while Nigerians mourn yet another massacre, senior officials of this administration have been busy criss-crossing television studios and social media platforms brandishing what they describe as an unverified claim of a letter of commendation from the United States Government.”
The ADC candidate added that “ironically, the same United States whose supposed commendation has become the centrepiece of this administration’s public relations campaign recently demonstrated what responsible governments do when the life of even one citizen is at stake.
“The Trump administration reportedly committed approximately $750,000 to evacuate a single American citizen stranded on a remote Pacific island following a potential exposure to hantavirus. That is the difference between governments that regard every citizen’s life as sacred and those that appear more concerned about international applause than the security of their own people.
“The people of Southern Kaduna—and indeed all Nigerians—do not need letters of praise from foreign capitals. They need security. They need to sleep without fear, travel without anxiety, cultivate their farms in peace and raise their children without the constant threat of terrorists, bandits and other violent criminals.
“Governance is not a public relations exercise. It is not measured by diplomatic soundbites or purported commendations. It is measured by the safety of the people and by a government’s ability to protect its citizens from harm. Until that constitutional obligation is fulfilled, every celebration of external praise rings hollow.
“This latest massacre underscores the urgent need for a comprehensive review of Nigeria’s security architecture. Nigerians deserve more than routine condemnations after every attack. They deserve intelligence-driven security operations, swift justice for perpetrators and proactive measures that prevent these recurring tragedies.
“I extend my heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and the people of Southern Kaduna. I pray for the repose of the souls of the departed and for the speedy recovery of those who sustained injuries.”
Furthermore, the former Vice President noted that “as the nation gradually approaches another political season, the security agencies must not only identify, apprehend and prosecute those responsible for this heinous crime, but must also take anticipatory and pre-emptive measures to strengthen security around vulnerable communities that could become targets of similar attacks. The protection of innocent lives must never be sacrificed on the altar of politics.
“History will not remember how many letters of commendation a government claimed to have received. It will remember whether it protected its people when they needed protection the most.
Today, the blood of innocent Nigerians speaks far louder than any unverified claim of international praise.”
According to SOKAPU, the latest attack occurred in the early hours of Sunday, leaving several others seriously injured.
“With a heavy heart and profound dismay, we write over the escalating wave of mass killings, farm destructions and mass abductions plaguing our rural and farming communities,” it said.
The union lamented that the attacks were continuing despite ongoing security engagements and assurances by the authorities.
“Our people in remote settlements across Kajuru, Chikun, Kauru and Zangon Kataf continue to bleed. Families are displaced from their ancestral lands, and communities live in daily terror as armed criminal elements operate with alarming audacity,” the letter stated.
SOKAPU urged the police command to shift from what it described as reactive security responses to proactive law enforcement by immediately deploying tactical units to vulnerable communities.
The association specifically called for the deployment of mobile police and counter-terrorism personnel to high-risk areas, regular security patrols around farming communities, intensified intelligence-driven operations to dismantle criminal camps, and improved response to distress calls.
“The current incidents of violence demand a sharp departure from reactive responses to aggressive and proactive law enforcement,” the group said.
It further stressed the need to secure farming communities to enable residents cultivate and harvest crops without fear.
“Establish active security patrols around farming districts to allow our rural populace to weed and harvest their crops without fear of being killed or abducted,” the letter added.
While acknowledging the efforts of the Kaduna State Government and security agencies, SOKAPU maintained that the protection of lives and property remains the government’s foremost responsibility.
“The primary duty of the State remains the absolute protection of lives and property… We trust that you will treat this urgent plea with the grave seriousness it deserves to prevent further catastrophe in our region,” Kato stated.
