Gunmen suspected to be members of the Lakurawa terrorist group have killed at least 13 local vigilante members in Morai village, located in the Augie Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The deadly attack occurred on Sunday when the gunmen stormed the village in an attempt to steal cattle from residents.
Local vigilantes, acting on intelligence, had positioned themselves in nearby bushes to ambush the attackers and recover the stolen livestock. However, unknown to them, the terrorists had already outmaneuvered their position.
“As soon as the vigilantes moved to intercept, the attackers opened fire, killing at least 13 of them on the spot. The village where the attack occurred is just about three kilometers from ours,” a local resident, Alhaji Augie, told Channels Television.
According to him, the gunmen struck with precision, catching the vigilantes off guard and leaving several of them dead instantly.
So far, six of the victims’ bodies have been recovered and buried in accordance with Islamic rites, while search operations are ongoing to retrieve the remaining bodies.
Efforts to get a response from the Kebbi State Police Command have so far been unsuccessful, as the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Nafiu Abubakar, did not respond to calls or text messages at the time of filing this report.
