The latest assault on a Christian village in Nigeria’s Middle Belt leaves families grieving and demanding stronger protection from Fulani militia violence.
By Luka Binniyat
(Kaduna – NIGERIA) – Nine Christians have been killed and 11 critically injured after gunmen, said to be Fulani Ethnic Militia (FEM) attacked Unguwan Magaji village, in Kauru, county, Southern Kaduna, late on Tuesday night, June 16, 2026,ThruthNigeria can affirm.
The Senator representing Kaduna South Senatorial Zone at the Nigerian Senate, Senator Sunday Katung, who confirmed the violence, condemned the attack as “barbaric, inhuman and totally unacceptable.”
A Press Statement signed by Comrade Daniel Sunday Dodo, Group Leader, Kikoba/Kizakro Join Task Force, announced the tragedy Wednesday June, 17, 2026.
“It is with profound grief and deep concern that we report another tragic and brutal attack on the peaceful residents of Ungwan Magaji Community in Kamaru Ward, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State,” reads Statement signed by Dodo whose Task Force is a security volunteer group that guards communities that includes Unguwan Magaji.
The attack, which began late Tuesday night, June 16 and continued into the early hours of Wednesday, June 17, targeted the border community on the Kaduna–Plateau line. The area has witnessed “recurring violence in recent years” and is “volatile,” according to Daily Times, posting one of the first reports of the massacre on Thursday, June 18.
Yet, according to TruthNigeria sources in the Irigwe tribe, the claim of the area being “volatile” disguises the fact that Fulani ethnic militia have launched village burnings and massacres for years in order to subjugate the majority-Christian Irigwe tribe that has occupied the territory for more than a century. The village raids have been partially resisted by local volunteer guards using self-made pipe guns, whereas the Fulani attackers carry assault rifles. Simply the act of last minute self-defense allows Nigerian government spokesmen to claim that virtually all massacres in Kauru County can be passed off as “communal clashes.” Mainstream Nigerian media routinely follow the narrative of the government.
FEM Used Axes, Machetes and Knives
The state continued that: “At approximately 11:00 p.m. on 16 June 2026, heavily armed men identified by community members as Fulani militias invaded the village under the cover of darkness.
“The attackers reportedly opened fire indiscriminately and used machetes, axes, and knives on defenseless residents, including women and young childre
“The coordinated assault left a trail of destruction, fear, and sorrow, claiming innocent lives and leaving many others with life-threatening injuries.”
The statement said that the attack has left many families devastated, with children orphaned, parents grieving, and survivors battling severe injuries and psychological trauma.
Urgent Assistance Needed
“Women, children, and elderly persons remain displaced and fearful of further attacks,” noted the statement.
“The community urgently requires immediate security reinforcement and emergency medical assistance for the injured including humanitarian relief materials for affected families,” the statement added.
Senator Sunday Marshall Katung, in his reaction through a Press Statement Wednesday, June 17, 2026 said:
“My attention has been drawn to the tragic and unfortunate incident that occurred on Monday, 16th June 2026, in Ungwan Magaji, Kamaru Chawai, Kauru Local Government Area of Kaduna State. Suspected militants invaded the community, leaving 9 people dead and 11 others with various degrees of injury.
Attack, Barbaric and Unacceptable – Senator
“I condemn this attack in its entirety,” he said.q
“The targeting of innocent, law-abiding citizens is inhuman, barbaric, and unacceptable,” he charged.
“No one should live under the threat of violence in their own community, and such acts of terror have no place in our society.
“On behalf of the people of Kaduna South Senatorial District, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the families of the deceased victims.
“I call on all security agencies to intensify operations, apprehend the perpetrators, and ensure that justice is served. We will continue to partner with the government at both the Federal and State levels to ensure the protection of lives and property in Kauru and across Southern Kaduna, so that no community is left to live in fear,” he said.
Taken By Surprise During Funeral Feast
Speaking to TruthNigeria Wednesday, a youth, also a member of Kikoba/Kizakro Join Task Force, who does not want his name mentioned said that the attack took place hours after an elderly woman was buried.
“We buried an old woman who lived to nearly a hundred years,” he said.
“In our culture, such kinds of deaths are usually celebrated as a feast for a life well lived,” he said.
“So we somehow lowered our guards and they took us by surprise,” he said.
“But we also got three of them killed. And we shot others who escaped with gunshots. Because we saw the trails of blood as they were retreating into the bush,” he added.
Vulnerable Village In a Frontline
Magaji, a small, relatively isolated farming settlement that lies within the rugged Chawai highlands and its fertile valleys. The village has about 50 compounds and has an estimated population of 400. It is close to the border with Bassa county in Plateau State, making it part of a sensitive corridor for FEM attacks.
Based on the available records, Unguwan Magaji has suffered at least two major documented attacks; one in 2016 and an attack in 2021.
The documented death toll linked to those attacks is at least 31 people, though the 2016 figure was an aggregated number and not a toll for Unguwan Magaji alone.
Luka Binniyat writes for TruthNigeria on Politics and Conflict from Kaduna.
