At approximately 11:47 p.m. on Sunday, March 29, 2026, the tranquility of Kagarko Local Government Area was shattered. Armed bandits, moving in large numbers with sophisticated weaponry, stormed a wedding hall in Kahir village. Witnesses describe a scene of indiscriminate carnage where 13 guests were slain by the almighty ‘Prodigal Sons’
The gunmen reportedly operated for nearly an hour without resistance, looting a local chemist for drugs and stripping shops of food items before retreating into the forest with an unknown number of abducted victims. This attack comes at a time when Nigeria’s Chief of Defense Staff, General Olufemi Oluyede, has faced intense backlash for referring to terrorists as “prodigal sons” who should be rehabilitated upon surrender. To the families in Kahir, these “sons” are nothing more than cold-blooded killers.
A State Under Siege
Kaduna remains the epicenter of the North-West security crisis, but the “prodigal son” narrative seems to be failing across the region: while the military focuses on rehabilitation, new terror groups like Lakurawa are imposing “taxes” on locals and rustling livestock in Kebbi and Sokoto.
The military coalition between Nigeria, Niger, Chad, and Cameroon has lost its edge following the 2023 coup in Niger, leaving border communities vulnerable to these high-speed raids.
The General’s Dangerous Metaphor
Calling mass murderers “prodigal sons” is a slap in the face to every victim. A “prodigal son” returns home seeking forgiveness for squandering an inheritance; these bandits are squandering Nigerian lives with zero remorse.
If the CDS continues to push for rehabilitation while the military fails to respond to a one-hour-long massacre in Kagarko, the trust between the civilian population and the armed forces will completely vanish. You cannot rehabilitate a man who is currently kidnapping a bride’s family. The “scope” of forgiveness is a luxury that Nigeria, amidst high fuel prices, cannot simply afford.
