GOVERNOR of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has confirmed fresh violent attacks in some communities located in Kajuru and Kachia Local Government Areas of the state.

El-Rufai’s spokesman, Samuel Aruwan, gave the confirmation via a statement on Tuesday, adding that security operatives have been deployed to contain the situation.

Aruwan’s statement read:

The Kaduna State Government has today (Tuesday) received the sad news of renewed attacks in Kajuru and Kachia local government areas.

The government condemns this recourse to violence and calls on all communities to support the efforts to restore calm in the area.

Today, the Kaduna State Government was briefed by security agencies of renewed attacks in Kajuru local government area, and in parts of neighbouring Kachia LGA.

The Kaduna State Government has been assured that the security agencies are working assiduously to contain the situation.

The Government is saddened by these attacks, condemns the perpetrators and urges all residents of the area to support the security.

Residents of Kajuru who spoke to journalists on Tuesday said the attackers, in their hundreds, wore military uniforms and wielded sophisticated weapons such that even the mobile policemen working in the area were overpowered.

A patrol vehicle belonging to the policemen was reported to have been set ablaze by the attackers.

“Mobile policemen came but also retreated, one ‘Operation Yaki’ vehicle was burnt by the bandits. Soldiers have been deployed to the community and are engaging them. The fight is still going on. Our people have been killed and our houses have been burnt. For now, it is difficult to say how many people have been killed until the situation is calm,” TheCable quoted a resident of Kajuru as saying during a telephone interview.

This is coming a few days after El-Rufai announced that 66 people, mainly Fulanis, were killed in violent attacks in the same Kajuru area. He later announced that the death toll in the attacks had risen to over 130.

Many argued, however, that the governor’s narrative was far from what actually took place.