17 vigilante killed by bandits in Niger

Seventeen members of vigilante were reportedly killed on Wednesday in an ambush by armed bandits in Niger State.

They were killed at Dukku in Rijau Local Government Area of the state while on their way to neutralise the bandits following a tip-off.

An eye witness told our correspondent in a telephone interview in Minna that the bandits who came in their numbers were said to have stormed the town in about forty motorcycles during the operation.

The vigilante members were also said to have killed two bandits in an exchange of gunfire while corpses of vigilante members were still in the bush under the control of bandits who vowed not to surrender them for burial.

The State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Alh Muhammad Sani Idris who confirmed the incident, however, said the number of deceased was yet to be ascertained. Idris said the state government had taken “serious security measure to tackle such challenges.”

Police Public Relations Officer, Niger State Police Command, ASP Wasiu Abiodun, could not be reached for comments at the time of filling in this report.

Meanwhile, the state government has appealed to residents of Kagara town to remain calm.

The appeal came following bandits’ attack on the town and the panic elicited by a social media video in which the residents of the area were seen fleeing and calling for intervention from the state government and the army.

In a condolence message, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello said that no responsible government will fold its arms and allow law-abiding and innocent citizens to be mauled down.

However, a few hours after the armed men attacked Kagara town, they invaded Adagbi village in Galkogo district in Shiroro area in the early hours of yesterday where they abducted 20 people.

A source said the bandits stormed the village in their usual style on motorcycles shooting in the air.