Suspected bandits kill vigilante in Jigawa
Suspected armed bandits on Tuesday stormed Fachawa community in Ringim local government area of Jigawa State, killing a vigilante in the process.
Salisu Usman, the son of the deceased, told PREMIUM TIMES the suspected bandits came around 11 p.m. on motorcycles armed, ransacked their house “and found that their target was not around”.
He narrated how the crime was committed.
“The three bandits asked me about my father. I told them he went out, they grabbed my phone and scrolled down for his name and called him. They told him to come back home quickly.
“When he came, they started interrogating him about previous arrests of some people in the area.
“They asked him whether he can secure their release from police. He said he didn’t know anything about them, but they insisted he was the one who ‘championed’ the arrest.
“They asked him to deliver his final message to me because they are going to kill him. They subsequently shot him dead and went away,” he said.
Police confirm killing
The police spokesperson in Jigawa, Audu Jinjiri, confirmed the incident.
He identified the deceased as Usman Kosau, 50. He said investigation is ongoing.
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Meanwhile, Mati Isma’il, the chairman Miyetti Allah in Ringim LGA, said the recent arrest of some suspected bandits in the area could be the reason why the vigilante was killed.
He said the presence of “strange people is causing panic among residents in some rural communities.”
Mr Isma’il added that, earlier in this month, the police raided Bidawa village “where many bandits were said to be operating”.
He said during the operation, the police arrested many women and children and recovered a cache of weapons.
“After the operation, there was mixed reaction about the mission of the suspected armed bandits in the state and where they came from. After that, the police also arrested three suspected armed bandits in Ringim. We strongly suspect that, the killing of the vigilante group leader has a connection with the recent arrest of the trio,” Mr Isma’il said.
Earlier, the Jigawa police commissioner, Bala Senchi, confirmed the recent police operation in Ringim.
He said the police recovered guns after the raid, and that “all the women and children of the suspected gunmen are under police protective custody”.
Source: Premium Times
