A 5-year-old kid was reportedly decapitated after terrorists invaded a community in southern Kaduna State, Nigeria, killing dozens of others.

The attackers descended on Runji village in Zangon Kataf Local Government Area (LGA) of southern Kaduna State on April 15, killing 33 people, including 14 children.

In a report issued on Tuesday, April 18, Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) condemned the attack and urged the international community to put pressure on the Nigerian government to cease the killing of innocent civilians in the West African country.

CSW's press and public relations team leader, Kiri Kankhwende, expressed sorrow that attacks on Nigerians in Kaduna and Benue States continue unabated while the international community does little to help.

According to Kankhwende, innocent people in Nigeria continue to face horrific tragedies as authorities at both the state and federal levels, as well as "the international community," do "far too little to protect or assist them."

"The unaddressed insecurity has now metastasized and constitutes a threat to Nigeria's territorial integrity, with serious implications for the region, the continent, and the wider international community," the CSW official stated.

"The international community must assist in this regard wherever possible, including by holding federal and state governments accountable if they continue to fail to fulfill their duty to citizens," he added.

The CSW press official expressed solidarity with the victims of the April 15 Islamist attack in southern Kaduna State, saying, "We extend our deepest condolences to all those who have lost loved ones in these recent attacks in Benue and the southern Kaduna States, and wish those who have been hospitalized a swift and full recovery."

The 33 victims of the Runji village attack were reportedly buried in a collective grave amid heartbreaking circumstances.

"14 of the victims were children, including a 5-year-old boy who was allegedly beheaded." "Several others were reportedly burned beyond recognition," according to CSW.

According to survivors, at least 200 militiamen descended on the village at 10:30 p.m. on April 15, "shooting sporadically" and setting fire to approximately 40 dwellings.

The attack lasted more than an hour until the militants fled, assuring the surviving villagers that they would return.

Some of the terrorists are also claimed to have been killed by military and local vigilantes.

CSW said that Zangon Kataf LGA has been under constant attack since the end of Nigeria's general election period, despite the fact that the area has a joint military and police barracks three kilometers (a little less than two miles) from its main town.

On the evening of March 11, 17 people were killed in an attack on Ungwan Wakili, the majority of whom were women and children, allegedly in response to "a series of complaints of cow poisoning and destruction of farm produce by both herders and locals in the area" and an altercation between security operatives and Fulani herders.

The March 11 attack came four days after 88 people were killed in a similar attack on an IDP camp in Benue State, which also mostly targeted women and children, prompting a rare but harsh condemnation from the UN office in Nigeria.

The "concerted attack on innocent citizens in the state" caused the Nigerian presidency to issue a statement condemning it and stating that "law enforcement agencies must take serious action to put an end to this."

The attacks in Nigeria persist despite the condemnation, CSW lamented, citing the April 5 raid on the Dutsen Bako hamlet in Zangon Kataf LGA, which resulted in at least four fatalities.

On April 12, nine individuals were killed, four were hurt, and five homes were damaged in a separate attack on the nearby community of Tanjei.

An 8-year-old child who was sleeping when her family fled the scene and died from a gunshot wound to the stomach, according to CSW, and a pregnant woman who was one month away from her due date were also victims of the incident on April 12.

Kankhwende contends that coordinated and effective action is necessary to ensure that Nigeria's security services have enough funding to counter the risks presented by terrorist organizations operating there and to protect vulnerable populations.

"Deeply distressing" is how he defined the level of insecurity in Nigeria, and he continued, "Such events are by no means unusual for many communities in Nigeria."

-CNA