Six leaders of different notorious criminal gangs were killed by a mob in Birnin Magaji emir’s palace in Zamfara State yesterday.
Leaders of the bandits were said to have come to the palace for negotiation to take back a number of cattle they rustled at different times but were later attacked at their own den by the local vigilance group in the area and the cows were brought to the metropolis by the vigilantes.
The mob action, according to a resident of the area, who preferred anonymity, may not be unconnected with the abduction of one of the residents of the area whom the bandits took some money as ransom.
He explained that the bandits collected N2.5million but refused to release him. According to our source, the activities of the bandits are getting out of hand in the area, hence the residents decided to react. One of the youths in the area, Dan Isa, disclosed that the bandits killed four of his friends. One of them, according to him, was burnt alive. Assistant director, army information, Force headquarters operation, Sharar Daji, confirmed the killing of the six bandits. He disclosed that troops of Operation Sharar Daji and Exercise Harbin Kunama III were deployed to the area and security has been beefed up to curtail reprisal by the bandits.