Gunmen attack a community in Nigeria and kill 30 people, residents say

At least 30 people were killed and several others injured when gunmen attacked Naridon village in Nigeria's Kaduna state late Sunday night. Residents described the attack as the latest in a series of violence plaguing the conflict-hit region. Derek Christopher, chairman of the Southern Kaduna Peace and Security Network, stated that the community was attacked around the same time last year. He criticized the government's efforts, suggesting a lack of intention to protect the area from armed groups. "I don't know who these people have left to fight for them," Christopher said.

Raphael Joshua, a resident assisting the injured, confirmed that victims' bodies were taken to a nearby hospital for burial arrangements. The commissioner for home affairs and internal security in Kaduna State, Sule Shu'aibu, had not yet been briefed on the incident. Authorities in Nigeria are often slow to acknowledge attacks, particularly as violence has escalated across the country in recent years.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack. Armed groups, referred to as 'bandits', frequently conduct raids and kidnappings for ransom in Nigeria's northwest and north-central regions. Authorities attribute these groups to former herders who resorted to violence against farming communities following resource-related clashes. Beyond banditry, Nigeria also faces an insurgency from the Boko Haram extremist group and its splinter faction, the Islamic State West Africa Province, primarily active in the northeast.

The U.S. government has previously accused Nigeria of failing to protect Christians, causing diplomatic friction. The U.S. conducted an operation against alleged Islamic State group members on Nigerian territory in December, with the Nigerian government's cooperation.

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The same community was attacked last year around this time. I don't know who these people have left to fight for them.