More than 50 killed in bandit-vigilante clashes in Nigeria
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Vanguard, SeneNews and RFI
Clashes between bandits and vigilantes have killed more than 50 people in Zamfara State, north-western Nigeria, according to RFI. On Thursday 12 November, militiamen from the village of Zoma ambushed bandits who had just abducted people, in response to looting, kidnappings and cattle theft, according to residents of the locality.
A traditional chief, who asked not to be named for his safety, says the vigilantes killed 44 bandits and lost nine of their own. Jijji, a notorious gang leader who had led the abduction, is among the dead, according to the same witness.
The Zamfara State police had not yet received details of the fighting, a spokesperson said. In Zoma, Basiru Buhari calls on the authorities to supply the vigilantes with weapons and ammunition, facing bandits he says are equipped with sophisticated weapons.
The bandits are largely Fulani herders who practise kidnapping for ransom and cattle theft. This banditry grew out of conflicts between herders and farmers over land and water, compounded by climate change and population growth. In early November, a deadly clash had already left more than 30 bandits dead in Bukkuyum, and news of attacks in these remote areas often emerges late, as the telephone network there is unreliable.
