Some bandits were reported to have killed six vigilante members at the Awaro checkpoint in the western part of Birnin-Gwari, Birnin-Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
It was gathered that the incident took place at about 4.00 pm on Wednesday.
A vigilante member, Usman Babangida, who was mourning the death of his colleagues, told newsmen on Wednesday that the bandits attacked the checkpoint in huge numbers.
He added that the hoodlums shot sporadically on sighting the vigilante members, killing no fewer than six of them.
According to him, those killed have been buried in accordance with Muslim rites.
Babangida said the incident occurred just as the hoodlums clashed with other bandits at a nearby community named Bugai.
He couldn’t confirm the casualty figures arising from the clash as of the time of filing this report.
“The incident happened around 4:00 pm when the bandits were passing through the Awaro checkpoint and attacked the local vigilantes on sighting them. They killed all the six vigilante members on the spot until some villagers discovered their bodies and later conveyed them to the town,” he said.
There was no official reaction either from the state government or the police.
A call put to the Police Public Relations Officer, Muhammad Jalige, indicated that his telephone line was busy.
However, there was no response to the text message sent to his telephone by our correspondent.