A violent clash between some illegal miners and suspected bandits at Kuyello Ward in the Birnin Gwari Local Government Area of Kaduna State has left at least seven people dead.
Residents say the incident occurred around 11 a.m. on Thursday at Kuyello, in the eastern part of Birnin Gwari, bordering Zamfara and Katsina states.
A community leader, Umar Maishanu, said that one of the bandits reportedly came from Zamfara to demand a monetary levy from the illegal miners, and in the process, was killed and buried in a shallow grave by the miners.
He said that this led to a reprisal by the slain bandit’s group, who stormed the mining site at Kuyello and started attacking the people, and in the process, killed seven people, including some of the illegal miners.
Although the police authorities have yet to confirm the incident, a reliable source told our correspondent that a combined team of security operatives has been deployed to the affected mining site and community to avert any further attack.