Bandit reportedly killed 70 vigilante members in the highlands

Armed people suspected of being a bandit reportedly killed at least 70 members of the vigilance group in the Bunyun Community in the Kanam Regional Government in the State Plateau on Monday.

The head of the vigilance group in Kukawa, Aliyu Baffa, told reporters on Tuesday that security agents experienced an ambush set by the attackers about one kilometer from Kukawa City.

He said: “At 1:30 in the morning, there was a sound of Hesvy’s shot and we thought that armed robbers had attacked the community.

“We later found that the shot came from residents who came from Dogon Ruwan Safiyo to fight bandits in their hiding place.

“But what surprised us, the guards began to defeat innocent residents from the community. They damaged shops and looted telephone.

“They also entered people’s homes and confiscated more than 150 telephones. They confiscated nearly 30 motorbikes from residents, claiming they would rise to the forest.

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“They even accused us of hiding bandits in the villages. We told them that we did not hide criminals, that criminals were in the forest, and they had to follow them to the area.

“They then headed to the forest, but 20 minutes later, we began to hear the sound of shots from that direction, suggested clashes between them.

“A moment later, we began to see some residents backward, saying they were overwhelmed by the bandits. So, this morning, we reported to the DPO and other security forces in the area.”

“More than 70 residents were killed in ambush. We suspect that more corpses will be in the bush.

“We have buried more than 60 in Kukawa alone. It is likely that more corpses can be found from both sides.”