Gunmen on Thursday night raided Tabak Village near Zonkwa in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State, killing two persons and injuring 14 others inside a church.The attack on the village brought to six the number of such incidents in the last three months in the mainly Christian Southern Kaduna part of the state.The gunmen swooped on unsuspecting worshippers at St. Joseph Catholic Church during a night prayer session.An eyewitness claimed that some of the assailants stormed the village through the internationally-recognised cattle grazing route traversing the area, while the others headed for the Catholic Church where they opened fire on the worshippers.Two female worshippers were instantly killed in the ensuing melee, while several others escaped from the church with varying degrees of injury.Some youths in the area have however been pointing accusing fingers at Fulani herdsmen for the surprise attacks on the people of the area.The youth leaders, who pleaded anonymity, blamed the state government and security agents for the series of attack on Southern Kaduna villages since the post-presidential election violence in the state.Our correspondent learnt that while 14 of those seriously injured during the attack on the village and church were admitted in hospitals in the area, the others were undergoing treatment for minor injuries in their individual homes.Governor Patrick Yakowa; the state Commissioner of Police, Mr. Bala Nasarawa; and the Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, Col. Dangana Mamman, have been on a visit to the scene of the attack to assess the situation.The Kaduna State Police Public Relations Officer, Aminu Lawan, confirmed the midnight attack on the village and the killings that occurred in the church.Lawan, a deputy superintendent of police, said he could not make further comments on the incident until later in the day.The PPRO said, The commissioner of police is already there with some other highly placed government officials. Im still trying to get the details about the incident. Ill get back to you later.A drama however occurred during the governors visit to the scene of the incident as hundreds of angry protesting women and youths of the area held him hostage for over an hour.The protesters, who chanted various anti-government slogans, said that the state government had failed to protect them against attacks from the assailants, who had formed the habit of launching attacks on them at night.Some youth leaders in the area eventually calmed and prevailed upon the protesters to let the governor, who was also in company with the General Officer Commanding One Division, Nigerian Army, Kaduna, Maj-Gen. Joseph Shoboiki, and the Director of the Kaduna State Command of the State Security Service, Mr. Yomi Zamba, visit the injured victims in hospital. Meanwhile, the Christian Association of Nigeria in Kaduna State has expressed concern over the midnight attack on Tabak village and the church.CAN said that it was unthinkable that such a nocturnal attack had become a commonplace in the southern part of the state, where since last April, police and military checkpoints have been set up and an unofficial curfew imposed on the residents.CAN Secretary, Rev. Yunusa Nmadu, said in a statement that the killing of innocent worshippers in a church during a night service by the gunmen had introduced a dangerous dimension to the development in Southern Kaduna since the last April election.
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