By Etse Kassim, Abuja
The Arak community of Sanga Local Government of Kaduna State has been thrown into mourning following the gruesome murder of the traditional ruler in the area, Gambo Makama and his pregnant wife, early hours of the New Year.
The attack came on the heels of the killing of six persons in Goska, another community in Southern Kaduna, during the recent Christmas festivities.
Makama, who was one of the second class traditional rulers in the Southern Senatorial district of Kaduna was said to have travelled from his palace in Gwantu, to his village, Arak, to celebrate the New Year with his second wife when the assailants strucked.
According to some of the inhabitants of Arak, the gunmen who were fully masked forced their way into the chief’s house and began shooting sporadically.
After killing the chief and his pregnant wife, as well as wounding one of his sons, the gunman set the house and his car which was parked in the premises ablaze before taking to their heels.
Confirming the development to newsmen, Chairman of Sanga Development Union, Prince Bala Audu, expressed concern over the ugly incident.
“He was seated with his second wife who is pregnant; then suddenly gunmen which I was told covered their faces with masks invaded the house and opened fire at them, alongside his son who is about 45 years.
“The chief and his wife died on the spot, the son did not die but he sustained serious injuries and was rushed to the hospital. “The gunmen set the house ablaze and burnt a vehicle which was recently given to the chief as a gift,” Audu said.
The Kaduna State police spokesman Aliyu Mukhtar, who also confirmed the incident, said the Command got a distress call about 4:00am that armed men stormed his house and shot him with his wife.
Mukhtar said before the arrival of the police the gunmen had escaped, adding that efforts are being intensified to arrest the perpetrators of the crime.
Southern Kaduna has continued to witness several killings often blamed on clashes between herdsmen and farmers .
A long-running battle over land and grazing rights left hundreds dead in the area in 2017.