Gunmen have killed 63 vigilantes from five communities, having being ambushed while chasing them (bandits) who had attacked the communities in Kebbi State, while another source said number of casualties were more than 63
Penpushing reports that, traditional rulers of two of the affected communities said the sad incident happened on Sunday evening when the bandits invaded the communities located in Sakaba Local Government Area of the state.
The sources in the affected communities said the bandits abducted residents and rustled some cattle, adding that residents were running helter-skelter, and when the volunteer vigilante members were informed of the attacks, they mobilized and pursued the bandits
‘Residents were running from the bandits. When the volunteer vigilante members were informed of the attacks, they mobilised and followed the bandits.You know how dangerous these bandits are’, a source said.
‘They know all the forest very well, so they decided to hide on the trees and allowed the volunteers to reach the ring after which they encircled them and started shooting sporadically. 63 vigilantes were killed because we counted them before we buried them in the evening. They were from five separate communities of the area,” the source added.
Penpushing further reports that, the vigilante members were said to be from Takita, Magajiya, Rafin Zuru, Dabai and Sanci, while as at the time of filing this report, a traditional ruler in the area said some of the bandits were also killed.
The communities’ source added that, after the evacuation of the corpses, they were taken to the police station where members of the vigilante groups of each village took those belonging to their people.
Penpushing also reports that, Kebbi State Police Command Public Relations Officer, Nafiu Abubakar, when contacted said the bandits were fleeing from military airstrikes in Niger State when they were confronted by the volunteers, adding that the number of those killed as at the time of this report could not be ascertained.
“There is an ongoing military operation in Niger state. The areas affected (in Kebbi) share boundaries with Niger, so while the bandits were fleeing from military airstrikes, the volunteer vigilante members confronted them’, he said.
Penpushing reports that, the police spokesman said the Commissioner of Police has mandated officers of the command to launch an investigation to unravel the identity of those killed, adding that the victims were part of those complimenting police efforts in addressing banditry.
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