By Uthman Baba-Naseer, Minna
Local vigilantes and hunters in Soba Community, Mashegu Local Government Area of Niger State, on Thursday repelled a major bandit attack on neighbouring Kuppa Community after a fierce gun battle with the assailants.
Residents said the local security volunteers mobilised after receiving a distress call that a large number of suspected bandits riding on motorcycles had stormed Kuppa Community.
The armed men, reportedly carrying sophisticated weapons, were said to have been preparing to launch an attack before the combined team of vigilantes and local hunters confronted them.
A resident, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the exchange of gunfire lasted for some time before the suspected bandits retreated.
“The vigilantes and hunters immediately moved to assist the community. A fierce exchange of gunfire followed and lasted for some time before the bandits were forced to retreat,” the source said.
Local sources claimed that about 25 suspected bandits were killed during the encounter, although the casualty figure could not be independently verified.
The operation, however, came at a cost, as one vigilante member was reportedly killed while five others sustained gunshot wounds and are receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.
Speaking with journalists by telephone, a youth leader in the community, Comrade Abbas Atteahir, said residents had endured repeated attacks by armed bandits over the past two months with little security intervention.
He explained that the persistent attacks prompted the community to establish a vigilante group and seek the support of hunters from neighbouring communities to defend lives and property.
According to him, the combined team successfully repelled the attackers, preventing what could have been a devastating assault on Kuppa Community.
“We have successfully engaged them in a gun battle and, by God’s grace, neutralised dozens of them. Sadly, we lost one of our vigilante members, while five others are receiving treatment,” Atteahir said.
He added that the community remained determined to resist further attacks by criminal elements.
The Niger State Commissioner for Homeland Security, Barrister Maurice Bello Magaji, commended the bravery of the vigilantes and hunters, praised their efforts in confronting the armed attackers.
