Clashes between gangs, vigilantes kill over 50 in northern Nigeria

Clashes between criminal gangs and local vigilantes have left more than 50 people dead in northwestern Nigeria's Zamfara state, residents told AFP on Saturday.

Vigilantes from Zoma village in Bukkuyum district ambushed the criminal gangs, locally known as bandits, who were passing through the village on Thursday after kidnapping several people from nearby Gummi district, the sources said.

"We were alerted that the bandits were heading our way, so our vigilantes laid in wait and engaged them in a fierce gunfight," said a traditional village chief who asked not to be identified for personal safety.

"Our vigilantes killed 44 of the bandits ... We also lost nine vigilantes in the fight," said the chief, adding that a notorious bandit commander called Jijji, who had led the kidnapping, was also killed in the fight.

Fight against bandits

Zoma residents Kabiru Tafida and Basiru Buhari, reached by AFP, gave the same account of the clashes and toll.

The Nigerian military routinely refers to bandits as "terrorists", and runs a dedicated military campaign in the northwest to combat them.

Worsening insecurity and the high cost of living have become major issues in the ongoing presidential campaign, as Bola Tinubu runs for a second term in January polls.

TRT Afrika / AFP — TRT Afrika / AFP

Photo: AP (Wire)