Godwin Isenyo Kaduna LGA chairman imposes curfew after 10 die in herdsmen attack

Following an attack that left ten civilians and a police officer dead, the Kaduna State government imposed a 24‑hour curfew on four communities in the Zango‑Kataf Local Government Area. Yabo Chris Ephraim, Special Assistant (Media) to the executive chairman of the Zangon Kataf Local Government Council, said the curfew was intended to allow soldiers to restore peace in the area.

The incident occurred on Saturday night when terrorists suspected of being herdsmen attacked the LGA, killing a police officer and ten others. This violence came barely 72 hours after a pastor’s son was shot dead and four others were abducted in the Karimbu‑Kahugu community of Lere LGA.

According to an anonymous source, trouble began on Saturday afternoon at a checkpoint in Ungwan Wakili. A misunderstanding between security operatives and a Fulani man led to a shoot‑out in which both the Fulani man and a police officer were wounded. The situation escalated that evening when a group of youths who had gone fishing were attacked; one person was killed with a machete by the retaliating Fulani militants.

The curfew affects the communities of Ungwan Juju, Mabuhu, Ungwan Wakili and Zango Urban. A resident who wished to remain unnamed told our correspondent that Angwan Wakili, Angwan Juju and Mabuhu—located in the Atyap chiefdom—were under possible attack from the suspected Fulani militia. He recounted that on 11 March 2023 at about 4:45 p.m., security personnel at a checkpoint in Angwan Wakili tried to stop several Fulani men on motorcycles. A confrontation ensued; a Fulani attacker struck an officer with a stick, prompting the officer to shoot one of the militants in the leg. In retaliation, the Fulani shot another officer, who was later hospitalized.

The suspected Fulani group returned to the checkpoint around 9–10 p.m. and opened fire on the security forces, by which time the military had taken over the checkpoint and exchanged fire with the militants. Over ten bodies have been confirmed dead, and four individuals sustained gunshot injuries. SP Mohammed Jalige, spokesman for the Kaduna Police Command, said he would verify the details and provide further information.