At least 41 members of a local Nigerian vigilante group have been killed in an ambush by an unidentified armed group in Katsina state in northern Nigeria, police sources have confirmed.
The dead were part of the so-called Yansakai, volunteer groups fighting criminal groups in the region, who were searching for stolen cattle in the Yargoje forest.
Police spokesman Gambo Isah said that the deceased, who belonged to eleven localities in the state, were ambushed as soon as they set foot in the forest last Wednesday night, according to PMNEws portal.
Katsina is the home state of Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, who for months has been ordering security operations to combat the dreaded groups of «bandits» that plague the remote areas of the country with kidnappings, robberies and extortion.
The Nigerian authorities have intensified their operations even more in recent days as the February 25 presidential elections approach, which will mark the end of the mandate of the current president, who is no longer eligible to run again.
Source: (EUROPA PRESS)
