No fewer than 16 suspected bandits and two vigilantes were reportedly killed during a clash between the two groups in Bangalala town of Wase Local Government Area of Plateau State.
The incident occurred when the vigilantes took the fight to Bangalala village, which has been under the control of bandits for some months.
According to Daily Trust, a resident of Wase, Abdullahi Usman said that the vigilantes took the fight to the bandits following the killing of villagers and the incessant attacks being launched on various communities of Wase.
He said the vigilantes deemed it necessary to confront the assailants.
A youth leader in Wase, Shapi’i Sambo, who also confirmed the development, said people had resorted to assist the security agencies to salvage the affected communities, saying it was high time the bandits were eliminated considering the damages they had been causing in the area.
The spokesperson of the Operation Safe Haven, a multi-security task force maintaining peace in the state, Major Ishaku Takwa, said the command was not briefed on the matter.