Kaduna Under Siege: Bandits Kill Residents, Kidnap Several in Midnight Raid on Makarfi Community

Panic and grief swept through a community in Makarfi Local Government Area after suspected bandits launched a deadly overnight attack that left several people feared dead and others abducted.

The raid reportedly occurred in the early hours of Monday, sending residents fleeing their homes as gunshots echoed through the area.

Videos circulating on social media captured scenes of chaos, with frightened villagers heard screaming while gunfire rang out in the background. One of the clips was shared on X by Nuhu Sada, identified as the Social Democratic Party candidate for the Kaduna State House of Assembly.

In one of the posts accompanying the footage, Sada wrote:

“Night of Terror in Makarfi, Zaria. This young boy watched helplessly as bandits kidnapped his grandmother. Is the North safe?”

Another video posted earlier suggested the attack was still ongoing at the time it was shared.

“Reports say bandits may have attacked Makarfi, Kaduna near Zaria tonight. People are screaming and running for their lives. Our hearts go out to the community. May they stay safe,” the post read.

Boy recounts terrifying encounter

One of the clips shows a young boy describing how the attackers stormed their home during the raid.

According to him, the gunmen forced their way into the house and assaulted several family members before abducting his grandmother.

“When they came, my grandmother asked me to give them our phones, which I did,” the boy said in the video. “They slapped the wife of the house and injured a woman with the edge of their gun before taking my grandmother.”

The boy also claimed the attackers fled the community through the Tashan Maliki area after carrying out the raid.

Residents flee as gunshots ring out

Other videos showed terrified residents running through the community while continuous gunshots could be heard in the background. At one point, a voice in the footage warned people not to move around as the attack unfolded.

The exact number of those killed or abducted during the assault remains unclear.

Authorities, including the Nigeria Police Force, had not issued an official statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.

Security concerns remain high across several parts of Kaduna State, where communities have repeatedly faced attacks by armed groups in recent years.