No fewer than 14 persons have been killed in a gun battle between suspected bandits and vigilantes in Tsamiyar Jino village in Kankara local government area of Katsina state.

The incident created tension in the village as residents scuttled to safety.

The spokesman of the state police command, Gambo Isah, confirmed the incident, blaming the vigilance group for failing to heed to police advice.

Isah said the vigilantes launched an attack on the suspects in their hideout.

He said seven of the vigilantes and seven of the bandits were killed.

“According to the reports received by the command, the incident started when members of the vigilante group decided to launch an attack on the bandits in their hideout (forest) killing seven of them and resultant of a fierce battle where the bandits also killed seven of the vigilante members,” he said.

“Yansakai (volunteers) who went into the forest to fight the bandits refused to heed to police advice.”

He added that “the bandits casualties have been evacuated from the forest as reported by the divisional police officer in the area”.

Last week, 50 persons were reportedly killed when suspected bandits clashed with vigilantes in a community in Kaura Namoda local government area of Zamfara state.

Attacks by armed gang is on the rise in the north-west.