Gunmen kill 7 people in Nigeria’s Kaduna state

Kaduna state Nigeria

Nigerian soldiers and police officers stand on guard outside a college in Mando, Kaduna state on March 12, 2021 after an attack by gunmen. At least seven people have been killed in separate attacks by gunmen on communities in Nigeria's north western Kaduna state, an official said on July 3, 2021.

Photo credit: Bosan Yakusak | AFP

Lagos

At least seven people have been killed in separate attacks by gunmen on communities in Nigeria's north western Kaduna state, an official said on Saturday.

“Gunmen suspected to be bandits have attacked Chikun, Kajuru and Giwa areas of Kaduna since Friday, killing civilians,” said Samuel Aruwan, the state's commissioner for internal security and home affairs.

"We have lost about seven citizens," Aruwan told reporters in Kajuru area during a visit to affected communities on Saturday.

Among the victims were four people who were kidnapped and shot to death by the gunmen in Chikun area on Friday, he said, adding that another person was killed in Giwa area on the same day.

Distress call

Aruwan said the state government got a distress call in the early hours of Saturday from a community in Kajuru where gunmen killed two people.

Security agencies are investigating the attacks, he said.

There have been a series of gunmen attacks in Nigeria in recent months, leading to deaths and kidnappings.