The Katsina State Police Command has confirmed that the clash between vigilantes and armed bandits in Tsamiyar Jino village in Kankara local government area claimed 14 lives.
According to Spokesperson of the Command, SP Gambo Isah, the vigilantes failed to heed to police advice and launched an attack on the bandits in their hideout.
He said that seven of the vigilantes and seven of the bandits were killed.
“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.
“Yansakai (volunteers) who went into the forest to fight the bandits refused to heed to police advice.” He added that “the bandits suffered casualties of the same number (7) which they have evacuated from the forest as reported by the DPO in the area”.