A convoy of pro-government fighters came under fire from bandits in Katsina State as they were returning from a funeral.

At least 21 government-backed fighters killed in bandit ambush Katsina State, northwestern Nigeriaaccording to authorities.

Katsina police spokesman Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu told AFP on Saturday that a convoy of pro-government armed men on their way back to express their condolences to the families of their dead colleagues stopped in Bowley, Safana district. The village was attacked by bandits. .

“It is regrettable that 21 people were shot dead in this attack,” Aliyu said, adding that police were seeking to “ensure the arrest of the perpetrators.” The attack happened on Tuesday.

However, witnesses told Nigeria’s Premium Times that the attack killed as many as 25 people and left more villagers missing.

Nigeria’s “Guardian” stated that these militants were members of the state-backed Katsina Community Observation Corps (KCWC).

The newspaper also quoted Aliyu as saying police had been deployed to the attack area to help restore order.

Katsina is one of several states in northwestern and central Nigeria plagued by bandits who attack villages, killing and kidnapping residents and burning and looting homes.

In June 2024, gunmen attacked a rural community in the state, killing at least seven people and kidnapping 100 people.

The gangs, which have camps in a large forest spanning the states of Zamfara, Katsina, Kaduna and Niger, have become notorious in recent years for mass abductions of school children.

Boko Haram Nigeria Attacks and kidnappings were also carried out in the state.

In 2023, Katsina State Governor Dikko Umar Radda established the KCWC force, consisting of about 2,000 people, to assist the military and police in combating criminal gangs.