62 members of a Nigeria vigilante group were ambushed and killed by gunmen in Kebbi state, northwestern Nigeria, the worst violence seen in the state since mid-January.
In many states of Nigeria’s northwestern region, volunteers help defend villages and towns from armed gangs, as the security forces are stretched fighting Islamist militants and bandits.
Usman Sani, the leader of the Yon Sa Kai vigilante group in Kebbi, had planned to attack bandits in the Sakaba area on Sunday night, but someone warned them.
Sani, a retired soldier, described how the attackers hid in shrubs and circling us opened fire from different directions. Sani said 62 people had been killed.
Nafiu Abubakar, Kebbi police spokesman, confirmed the ambush but declined to say how many people were killed.
In Over 50 people were killed by gunmen on motorbikes in Kebbi, Nigeria, in January.
Thousands of school children and villagers have been kidnapped by gunmen in the northwest.
The violence has compounded the problems in northern states, which are typically poorer than southern states.