After a vigilante group clashed with bandits who attacked their village, 41 people were killed, and authorities in Nigeria’s Katsina state have launched a joint security operation.
In the run-up to the presidential and parliamentary elections on February 25, where voters are increasingly concerned about insecurity, this is the most recent violence.
According to Gambo Isah, a spokesman for the Katsina state police, a joint security team consisting of the military, air force, and police was still looking for the culprits as of Saturday. Many of the victims were discovered in the nearby Yargoje Forest, where it is believed that the criminals are hiding out.
Bandits stole 50 cows and 30 sheep before fleeing into the bush. The Yankasai local vigilante group was drawn from 11 communities in the Bakori area.
To recover the animals, they were tracked by the vigilante group to the Yargoje Forest, where they were ambushed by the bandits, killing 41 people and injuring two others.
Isah unearthed over the phone that their men are still there, and an operation is ongoing. However, he could not guarantee that an arrest has been made. They are awaiting the outcome of that operation.
The bodies of the vigilantes who were killed have been found and taken to the mortuary. Kankara General Hospital is treating the injured.
Katsina state is one of the most affected by the growing violence committed by armed gangs in Nigeria. It is the home state of Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari.
Critics have criticized Buhari’s eight-year term, which was founded on a promise to end Nigeria’s insecurity. The village attack and the deaths, according to the state special adviser on security in Katsina, have enraged the community.
During the president’s visit to commission projects initiated by the state’s governor this past week, residents of Katsina state threw stones at the president’s motorcar.
