Bandits ambush and kill 21 government-backed fighters in Nigeria. conflict news
The convoy of pro-government fighters was returning from a funeral when they were fired upon by bandits in Katsina state.
At least 21 government-backed fighters have been killed in an ambush by bandits in Nigeria’s northwestern Katsina state, according to officials.
Katsina police spokesman Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu told AFP news agency on Saturday that a convoy of pro-government fighters was returning after offering condolences to the family of a dead colleague when they came under fire from bandits in Baure village in the Safana district. Has arrived. ,
“Tragically, 21 people were shot dead as a result of the attack,” Aliyu said. He said police were trying to “ensure the arrest of the perpetrators” of the attack, which took place on Tuesday.
However, witnesses told Nigeria’s Premium Times that at least 25 people were killed in the attack, while several villagers are missing.
Nigeria’s The Guardian said the fighters were members of the state-backed Katsina Community Watch Corps (KCWC).
The newspaper also quoted Aliyu as saying that police had been deployed to the area of the attack to help restore order.
Katsina is one of several states in north-western and central Nigeria plagued by bandits, who attack villages, killing and kidnapping residents as well as burning and looting houses.
In June 2024, at least seven people were killed and 100 abducted when gunmen attacked a rural community in the state.
The gang, which maintains camps in the vast forests spanning Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger states, has gained notoriety in recent years for mass abductions of students from schools.
Nigeria’s Boko Haram group has also carried out attacks and kidnappings in the state.
In 2023, Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda established the KCWC force comprising about 2,000 men to assist the army and police in fighting gangs.
