At least seven members of a local vigilante group were killed and eight others injured after a suspected military bomb struck their camp in Kukoki-Bassa community, Shiroro Local Government Area of Niger State, on Thursday.
The victims, members of the local vigilante group popularly known as DSS Hunters, were reportedly gathered at their camp to plan a response to suspected bandit movements around the community when the explosion occurred.
Sources said the injured were rushed to the IBB Specialist Hospital in Minna for treatment, with some said to have sustained severe injuries, including the reported loss of both legs.
Commander of the vigilante group in Kukoki, Ayuba Umar Kamas, said three aircraft were sighted in the area before one of them flew over the camp and released what he described as a bomb.
Kamas said the seven persons killed comprised four from Kukoki, one from Bassa and three from Matuku.
He expressed dismay that the vigilantes’ camp was hit at a time suspected bandits were allegedly moving through the area on about 250 motorcycles while driving rustled cattle.
Community sources suggested that the Air Force aircraft might have been acting on intelligence concerning the movement of terrorists in the area but may have struck the wrong location.
The injured victims were reportedly transported from the community on motorcycles before being transferred to the hospital in Minna for further medical attention.
The circumstances surrounding the incident, including the identity of the aircraft involved and whether the vigilantes were mistakenly targeted, could not be independently verified from the available account.
