No fewer than 14 people were on Tuesday killed in a gun battle between suspected bandits and vigilantes in Tsamiyar Jino village in Kankara local government area of Katsina state.
The incident threw residents into panic, scampering for safety.
Confirming the incident, Gambo Isah, spokesman of the state police command, blaming the vigilance group for failing to heed to police advice.
Isah said the vigilantes launched an attack on the suspects in their hideout, adding that seven of the vigilantes and seven of the bandits were killed.
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“According to the reports received by the command, the incident started when members of the vigilante group decided to launch an attack on the bandits in their hideout (forest) killing seven of them and resultant of a fierce battle where the bandits also killed seven of the vigilante members,” he said.
“Yansakai (volunteers) who went into the forest to fight the bandits refused to heed to police advice.”
He added that “the bandits casualties have been evacuated from the forest as reported by the divisional police officer in the area”.