A security source and villagers claimed Wednesday that gunmen killed 19 security personnel, including 13 soldiers, in an attack in the northwest Nigerian state of Kebbi.
The fighting broke out late Tuesday in Kanya, a village in Danko-Wasagu region, barely one day after scores of members of a self-defense militia were massacred in the same area.
On Monday, at least 57 vigilantes were massacred in an ambush by heavily armed criminal gangs known locally as bandits in adjacent Sakaba.
According to the source and residents, hundreds of gunmen attacked Kanya, engaging a combined military and police detachment in a three-hour fire battle.
The death toll currently stands at 19. "There are 13 soldiers, five police officers, and one vigilante," an unidentified member of the security forces told AFP.
He added that eight other security people, including four soldiers, were hospitalized with injuries.
"It was a fierce battle that lasted more than three hours." Because of their overwhelming numbers, the terrorists had the upper hand.
The military and police did not reply immediately to a request for comment on the event.
For years, criminal gangs have terrorized Northwest and Central Nigeria, raiding and looting towns, stealing cattle, and kidnapping citizens for ransom.
However, attacks have recently increased, despite military efforts to expel bandits from their camps.
