The police in Kaduna have confirmed that 17 people died when armed bandits attacked a village, Jan Ruwa in Birnin Gwari local government area of the state.
A statement by the police command’s spokesman, DSP Yakubu Sabo on Thursday said the bandits also rustled away many cows.
According to Sabo, “On 12th March, 2019 at about 11:45am, we received an information that a group of bandits entered into Jan Ruwa village in Birnin Gwari LGA and rustled many cows.
“Teams of vigilante groups of the village who were returning from a function in Zamfara state got the information, mobilised and pursued the criminals into the deep forest.
“They engaged the criminals in serious gun duel and as a result, some of the vigilante members lost their lives.”
He added that a combined team of PMF men, conventional police and vigilante have been mobilised to the area for a search and rescue mission saying “in the process, the bodies of 15 vigilante members as well as two others were recovered.
He said the Commissioner of Police, Ahmad Abdurrahman, condemned the killing of the patriots and vowed to apprehend the perpetrators of the acts of injustice.
He noted that the commissioner further condoled with the families of the “gallant citizens who volunteered to assist security agencies in the protection of lives and property.”
He noted that the CP has assured members of the public that the command has sent detectives to the area and are working hand in hand with other security agencies to ensure timely arrest of the culprits.
He then appealed to members of the public to assist the police with relevant information on any suspicious person or group to ensure effective crime prevention in the state.