By John Shiklam in Kaduna
Four people were killed in an attack by unknown gunmen on Sunday in Kutura village, Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Seven others were said to have sustained injuries from gunshots and were taken to the hospital.
The gunmen were said to have invaded the community at about 8:00pm and open fire on the youths who were said to be dancing in celebration of the new year.
The attack came hours after the state Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, appealed to the people of the area to live in peace during a town hall meeting in Kasuwan Magani on Sunday.
The President of the Adara Development Association (ADA), Mr. Awema Dio Maisamari, who confirmed the incident in a telephone interview, described the attack as unfortunate.
“It was around 8:00pm, the youths were celebrating the new year, they were dancing in anticipation of the new year, suddenly the gunmen invaded the community and opened fire at the them.
“Four people were killed on the spot while seven others were injured,” Maisamari said.
According to him, before the attack, there was a recorded audio message, allegedly from a Fulani man informing the people about impending attacks on some communities in the area.
He said the recorded audio message listed the areas to be attacked, adding that Kutura community was one of them.
He said the latest attack had confirmed fears being expressed about the security situation in Kajuru Local Government Area and the failure of the authorities for proactive measures.
“There was an audio message that was sent by a Fulani man, telling us that they are coming and Kutura village was one of the villages mentioned for attack in the audio and that we should get ready.
“So this has confirmed to us that all these things we are hearing and we called them rumours are coming to pass.
“When the audio was circulating, we raised the issue at a meeting with government officials at the State House (Hassan Katsina House), Kaduna. They told us that they had already taken care of the situation.
“We were at the meeting with the SSG (Secretary to the State Government) and we brought up the issue, he told us that they were aware of it and they had already taken care of the situation.
“Here we are! That is to say that we can no longer rely on government to protect us.
“They will hear, they will promise and at the end of the day our fears would be confirmed. We don’t feel protected at all,” he said.
On October 26, the paramount ruler of the indigenous Adara people, the Agom Adara, Mr. Maiwada Raphael Galadima, was abducted and murdered while travelling from Kaduna to Kachia, his domain.
Efforts to get the reaction of the police was unsuccessful as the spokesman of the Kaduna State Police Command Yakubu Sabo did not respond to phone calls nor a text message sent to his mobile phone.
