Vigilante Group Repels Terrorists, Kills 2 In Shinkafi, Northwest Nigeria

Two terrorists belonging to the notorious Gudde Turji terror group died during a confrontation between the group and members of vigilante group known locally as Yan Sa Kai in Shinkafi town, Zamfara State, Northwest Nigeria.

HumAngle learnt that the incident which happened on Friday, Sept. 3 between 10 and 11 a.m. WAT followed a warning by the terror leader to the community.

During the attack which was the fourth led by Gudde Turji, local sources said the vigilante group repelled the terrorists who came armed with heavy weapons.

“The terrorists invaded Shinkafi metropolis with a mission to terrorize and destabilize the residents but met with stiff  resistance from the local Vigilante (Yan Sa Kai),” Bashir Hassan Shinkafi, an eyewitness and resident of Shinkafi town, told HumAngle. 

One of the principal actors of the local vigilante group in  the area who pleaded to speak anonymously said: “already we have been expecting the impending attacks from the terrorists, because their leader Gudde Turji announced that since we refused to heed his advice and unlawful demand to protest against the Government’s latest measures put on all of us, he would dislodge us from our respective communities, raid and plunder our innocent citizens.”

He added that “only to wake up on Friday morning, around 10 a.m., we heard heavy gunshots rocking our ears confronting our metropolis. Then we mobilised ourselves to defend our community. We killed two of the ‘bandits’ among them, and they injured two of our people with bullets. We repelled them so they ran away to save their lives,” he revealed.

Sequel to this attack in Shinkafi town, Turji earlier launched three attacks within the same week on Tuesday in Badarawa, Wednesday in Maberaya, and Thursday in Jangeru all in Shinkafi local government area. 

The attacks came following the Terrorists leader’s directives to Shinkafi residents and it’s surrounding communities to boycott Zamfara State Government ‘containment orders’ imposed as measures to tackle terrorism and banditry in the state. 

Meanwhile, in a press release signed by S.P Muhammad Shehu, the Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO) of Zamfara State Police Command, he said, “joint security operatives neutralised one bandit while others escaped with possible bullets wounds.”

“The  Police Tactical Operatives in Collaboration with the other security agencies have repelled a large number of armed bandits who came to Shinkafi town in their hundreds with intent to attack the innocent people of the area. The bandits who were from the camp of a notorious bandits kingpin, “TURJI” were heavily engaged in a gun duel by the Joint security forces stationed in Shinkafi to safeguard the lives and properties of the Communities”, Shehu added.