Heavily armed terrorists yesterday killed no fewer than six soldiers and many local vigilantes in Shiroro local government area of Niger State.
Also, the marauders reportedly abducted a yet-to-be-identified captain in the Nigerian Army.
According to ThisDay report, the terrorists had stormed the Kukoki and Sarari army camps in Niger State to carry out the act.
Neither the state commissioner for internal security, Major General Abdullahi (retd), nor the spokesman for the state police command, Mr Wasiu Abiodun, could confirm the incidents.
However, the Sokoto state police command confirmed the killing of six persons in a bloody confrontation between vigilantes and suspected bandits at Gada weekly market in the state on Thursday.
Spokesman for the command, Mr Ahmed Rufa’i, said the police were still investigating the incident.
“We recovered six bodies suspected to be of Fulanis killed by the vigilantes left unattended on the market day on Thursday in Gada town,” he said.
The incident, according to eyewitnesses, started when a leader of the Gidan Hashimu village vigilante group made a move to arrest and interrogate a notorious cattle rustler seen loitering in the market.
The move was resisted by the Fulani group around the market.
The suspected bandits at the height of the crisis shot and killed the vigilante leader, which sparked reprisal attacks by members of the vigilante group.
Before the arrival of the police team to the market, more than six people were killed.
The vigilantes in the area, provoked by the killing of their leader, went on reprisal attacks on Fulani communities in the area where over 50 people were alleged to have been dislodged by the rampaging group.
