The death toll in Friday night/Saturday’s morning’s vicious onslaught on selected communities in Kaura Local Government Area of southern Kaduna by Fulani herdsmen is now up to 200, according to latest media reports.

News Express had yesterday evening put the death toll at about 100 – 150 but papers this morning reported that it was as high as 200.

The Kaduna villages in which about 200 were reportedly killed were identified as Sankwai, Tekum and Unguwarr Gata inhabited by native Moroa people in Manchok chiefdom, about 250km south of Kaduna metropolis, the capital of Kaduna State.

Kaduna State police spokesman, DSP Aminu Lawan, who confirmed the attack, said he could not ascertain the casualty figure, saying detectives had been sent to the affected villages to verify the situation of things.

According to Gideon Bughu, 45, from Sankwai village, some gunmen first came on Friday night and attacked the village. He said the gunmen numbered over 50. Some gunmen, he stated, later came, yesterday, around 4am, and attacked the other villages.

“They fired into homes”, he told Sunday Vanguard on phone. “As women and children scampered to escape, they were shot and later cut with machetes. They set our homes on fire. If you stayed inside, you were burnt. If you run out, they shoot at you. The men stayed inside, so most of those burnt were men. But the villagers managed to kill some of the Fulani men, some of whom wore army uniform,” he said.

“I escaped but I have bullet wounds as I speak. I am at an hospital somewhere in Jos.

“I am told that about 45 people in my village were burnt. And 30 shot and cut with machetes.”

Investigation showed that similar attacks were carried out in Tekum and Unguwar Gata. In Unguwar Gata, sources put deaths figure at between 75 and 80 while, in Tekum, those who died were said to be between 60 and 70 with scores injured.

“There is not one house standing in Tekum and Ungwan Gata now,” a source said. It was gathered that corpses littered the bush in the villages while smoke could be seen billowing into the air there at the time of this report.

Kaduna State police spokesman, Lawan, in a telephone chat, said: “I have been briefed by the District Police Officer in Manchok that three villages in that axis were attacked with a number of casualties and some homes burnt. But I cannot tell you the number of casualty now. We have sent detectives to the place to ascertain what happened. We have also sent troops who are now combing the surrounding hills for the murderers. We also gathered that the villagers were able to kill some of the invaders.”

•Partly based on a Sunday Vanguard report. Photo shows Kaduna State Police Commissioner, Umar Shehu (left).