Thirteen people were killed in prolonged clashes between cattle thieves and local civilian militia in northern Nigeria’s Zamfara state, police said on Thursday.
The militia and cattle thieves fought a gun battle Tuesday through Wednesday in the remote village of Fankashi in the Maru district of the state, police spokesman Mohammed Shehu told AFP.
“Our men recovered 13 dead bodies from the criminal gang and the vigilantes from the village after the fight,” he added.
The village was attacked by the bandits, resulting in the fight with the militia, who were armed with locally made, single-shot muskets.
Police reinforcements were later sent to the area, said Shehu.
Rural communities in Zamfara have been under siege for several years from cattle rustlers and kidnapping gangs, who have raided herding communities, killing, looting and burning homes. Read more