The death toll from an attack last week by gunmen in northwestern Nigeria’s Kaduna State has doubled to more than 130 people, the state governor said on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, adding that the motive appeared to be ethnic.
Nasir el-Rufai told journalists on Tuesday, February 19, 2019, that police were still investigating the gunmen’s motive.
The attack last Friday came the day before a presidential election was supposed to be held, but electoral authorities delayed the vote by one week due to logistical challenges.
There was no indication that the attack was related to the election.
The governor said names and photographs of those killed would soon be made available to the press.
“The latest report shows that over 130 people were killed, not even 60. We have the list and we will release it to the media. The affected communities have provided us with the names of those that were killed,” El-Rufai said.
The security council meeting, which lasted for an hour, was attended by El-Rufai, Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa), Kashim Shettima (Borno) and members of the country’s national security council.
El-Rufai said the killing was a deliberate plan to wipe out a certain community. He did not mention any sponsors of the attack.
The governor, who added that anybody questioning whether the attack took place or not is grossly irresponsible, assured that the perpetrators of the killings would be made to face the full wrath of the law.
