At least 21 government-backed fighters have been killed in an ambush by bandits in Nigeria’s northwest Katsina State.
Katsina police spokesman Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu told the AFP news agency on Saturday that a convoy of pro-government fighters was returning from paying condolences to the family of a dead colleague when it came under fire from bandits in the village of Baure, in the Safana district.
“Sadly, 21 persons were fatally shot as a result of the attack,” Aliyu said, adding police were seeking to “ensure the arrest of the perpetrators” of the attack, which happened on Tuesday.
Witnesses, however, said that as many as 25 people were killed in the attack, while many more villagers remain missing.
The fighters were members of the state-backed Katsina Community Watch Corps (KCWC).
Police have been deployed to the area of the attack to help restore order.
bd-pratidin/GR
