Gunmen went haywire across communities in Niger State, last Sunday and on Monday night, killing well over 60 vigilantes and five others in Tungan Magajiya, Rijau Local Government Area (LGA) and Paikpa village in Munya local government area of the State in two separate attacks.
The 60 local vigilantes were killed at Sakaba, a border village between Niger and Kebbi state, last Sunday night, at about 9pm in an ambush.
The vigilantes are from Sakaba in Kebbi state and their counterparts from Tungan Magajia and Rijau in Niger state, who were on a joint patrol along the area, due to the incessant gunmen attacks on communities from the two states.
A source close to Rijau disclosed that the vigilantes were on the trail of the gunmen said to be numbering over 100 after receiving information about their movement unknown to them (vigilantes) that an informant had alerted the gunmen that they were being trailed by the vigilantes.
The gunmen immediately divided themselves into two with one group laying ambush while others advanced forward. The vigilantes, unaware of the ambush, found themselves at the centre of the gunmen who opened fire on them from back and front.
It was further gathered that those vigilantes whose gun could not penetrate were hacked down with machetes and other dangerous weapons.
Twelve of the victims were from Rijau while the remaining 48 were from Sakaba and Tungan Magajiya.
