There was fresh violence in the flashpoint Kaduna state where four travelers on motorbikes, traveling to Kaduna from Abuja, were killed on Sunday, reports have said.

A source for the Daily Trust said the unidentified attackers killed the travelers at Kara Tudu in Kaduna state. The source said the travelers, about 10 of them, took a path off the highway, which they feared might be unsafe.

According to the source, six of the 10 travelers were killed, while four escaped with injuries; however, the Kaduna state police commissioner, Muhammad Jinjiri Abubakar, said four people were killed. He further indicated that the men were killed by natives in the area who suspected the travelers on motorbikes might be Boko Haram members.

“The deceased took the bush path to avoid the traffic gridlock at a check point in the area, which is Kara Tudu. When the natives of the area saw them, they suspected them and killed four of them while we rescued one. Four motorbikes are missing. The deceased were travelling to their hometown when they met their death,” the commissioner said.

He called on the local chief in the area to fish out the youths responsible for the murder of the travelers, saying “because it was youths of the area that killed them”.

“We hope the chief would cooperate so that justice can be done. The person that survived is helping us with information,” CP Abubakar said.