A deadly gun battle between local vigilantes and suspected Lakurawa bandits in Tangaza local government area of Sokoto state has claimed the lives of eleven vigilantes, with several others still missing.
The clash, which began on Friday, initially resulted in two fatalities. However, the death toll rose after nine additional bodies were recovered.
Several more corpses are believed to be in the dense Lakurawa forest enclave, and efforts are underway to retrieve them with the assistance of soldiers and security agencies from Binji and Racca.
Eyewitnesses narrated, „The confrontation began after local vigilantes foiled an attack on the Magonho community, prompting a fierce exchange of gunfire.
„The assailants, estimated to be around forty in number, were heavily armed and arrived on twenty motorcycles. They rustled livestock from the village before retreating.
„Troops from the Forward Operating Base (FOB) in Masallaci responded swiftly and pursued the bandits, successfully recovering some of the stolen animals.
However, the bandits later returned to Magonho village, opening fire and setting an MTN communication tower ablaze before fleeing again.“
When contacted, Sokoto Police command PPRO, Ahmed Rufai, confirmed the attack and the MTN mast that was set ablaze, but could not confirm the number of the vigilantes killed as of the time of filing this report.
He said, „Yes, there was a report of an attack in the area, including the MTN mast in the community. I would have to get back to you on the number of casualties, as I cannot confirm the figure for now.“
Meanwhile, search and rescue operations are ongoing, as authorities are working to account for missing vigilantes and recover additional bodies.
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