About seven persons including two members of the vigilante group were killed after gunmen opened fire at a weekly Galadimawa market in Giwa Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Northwest Nigeria.
According to Samuel Aruwan, the state Commissioner for Internal Security and Home Affairs on Thursday, the terrorists sneaked into the market at about 4 pm on Wednesday and opened fire on the vigilantes and killed two members of the group and five other persons.
Aruwan gave the names of the dead vigilante group as Yusuf Magaji Iyatawa, Dabo Bafillace, Danjuma Haladu, Shuaibu Isyaku, Isyaku Adamu, Shehu Dalhatu and Musa Haruna Kerawa.
He added that a commercial trailer driver, one Yusuf Tumburku who had just loaded 330 bags of maize belonging to a trader, Hamza Ungwan Lalle Giwa, had his vehicle and the grains burnt to ashes.
One other car was burnt by the armed men, Aruwan said.
The commissioner further explained that the security agencies comprising the police and military troops gave the terrorists a hot pursuit while they escaped out of the general area.
He said the gunmen who came riding on about 15 motorcycles met their end in the hands of aggressive fighting air platforms which engaged them and subsequently neutralized several of them.
“The armed men were neutralized after they attacked the weekly Galadimawa Market on Wednesday evening, where two vigilantes and five citizens lost their lives,” the commissioner said.
“The ground troops are still carrying out clearance operations in the Galadimawa and Kidandan general areas.”
He noted that Nasir El-Rufai, Governor of Katsina State has sent condolences to the families that lost their loved ones and commended the military and police for neutralizing the armed bandits.
The Governor charged locals in the Galadimawa and Kidandan general areas of Giwa Local Government to continue to volunteer useful information to the government and security agencies.
