Local hunters in Niger have killed at least 47 bandits terrorizing communities in Shiroro part of the state.
A report PRNigeria indicated that the hunters, in a sting-like operation, raided a ‘riverside’ community in Magami between Shiroro and Rafi Local government areas on Wednesday and killed the bandits.
The website quoted a source as confirming that bandits had used the riverside community as as hideout for some time.
The bandits also established camps in the axis.
A police intelligence officer, who asked not to be mentioned, confirmed that several bandits also fled with gunshot wounds, aside those killed.
“I can tell you for a fact that the bandits met their waterloo. At least 47 of them were eliminated by the hunters who participated in the operation,” he said.
PRNigeria could not confirm if the hunters are part of the recently inaugurated Niger Special Vigilante Corps (NSVC) which was formulated by the police and the state government to streamline the activities of all local security outfits into one special corps.
During the inauguration of the corps in June 2021, Governor Abubakar Sani Bello of the state said the activities of banditry would not intimidate the people or the government as they would not allow bandits to change the style of living of the people.
Sani-Bello had said: “Bandits want to force us to change our way of life in Niger State but we won’t allow them.
“They stopped our children from going to school, they stopped us from travelling on our roads, they stopped farmers from going to the farm and now they are trying to stop from anything, but we will not be intimidated. We will not allow that to happen; we will continue to live our normal lives.”