Police confirm 29 deaths, 40 burnt homes in fresh Kaduna attack

Kaduna Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdur-Rahman, yesterday confirmed the death of 29 persons and burning of 40 homes during Tuesday’s attack by unknown gunmen on Katmai village in Kajuru council area of the state.

During a press briefing in Kaduna, the CP said he, alongside the Garrison Commander, 1 Division of the Nigerian Army, Brigadier-General O.J. Akpor, and other senior military and police officers had undertaken an assessment tour of all the communities in the axis for confidence building and peace move.

“I also held a peace meeting with the community stakeholders and assured them of adequate security. Thus, we have deployed more troops to fortify security within the general area,” he added.

Abdur-Rahman convoyed the condolences of the Inspector General of Police, Mohammed Adamu, assuring the people that the perpetrators of the dastardly act would be apprehended and brought to justice.

The CP appealed: “Hence, people should not take law into their hands. I want to thank the good people of Kaduna and the media for their continued support to the command in our effort to fight crime to its barest minimum in the state.”

In a related development, President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with the victims and families affected by the latest banditry in Sokoto and inter-communal conflict in Kaduna, warning that “mass murder of innocent people by criminals would be met with full force.”

Reacting in Abuja, he stated: “The death of one innocent Nigerian is no less important than the death of a hundred. It is a matter of time before these murderous gangs of criminals meet their Waterloo.”

According to Buhari, “the criminals cannot be lucky always because the law will ultimately catch up with them and deliver justice ruthlessly.”

He added: “Let no group of outlaws doubts the will and resolve of my administration to confront criminals who have no iota of regard for the sanctity of life.”

In a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, the president reassured Nigerians that their security remained a top priority of his government.

Buhari pointed out that “our security personnel are being trained, retrained, motivated and provided with essential equipment to improve their capacity to respond to our security challenges.”