A fierce gunfight between suspected bandits and operatives of the Community Watch Corps (CWC) has left at least 15 people dead in Katsina State.

The incident, which occurred late Monday night, took place in the Falale community in Jibia Local Government Area.

It was gathered that the bandits had attempted to storm the community with the intent of carrying out nefarious activities.

But the members of the CWC were reportedly alerted to the development and swiftly moved to the area where the confrontation occurred.

The CWS Is a security group set up by the state government to complement the efforts of conventional security operatives in tackling banditry and related criminality in the state.

It was gathered that 15 persons lost their lives during the gunfight, with the bandits and CWC operatives said to have suffered casualties.

It was also learnt that several people sustained injuries on both sides, with several of them currently receiving treatment in hospital.

The deceased persons were said to have been buried on Tuesday morning according to Islamic rites.

The state, which is grappling with security challenges caused by the activities of suspected bandits and terrorists, has witnessed a series of attacks recently.

Last week, bandits attacked two communities in Musawa and Dandume councils, where they killed 14 people and injured dozens of others.

Early February, bandits also attacked tDoma community in Faskari council, where they killed more than 20 people and injured scores of others.

However, security operatives have been making efforts to address the challenge, with a successful operation resulting in the killing of 45 bandits in Danumusa council area about three weeks ago.

At the time of the report, government officials in Jibia council had yet to respond to inquiries about Monday night’s incident.

A spokesperson for the police command in the state, DSP Abubakar Aliyu, did not immediately reply to calls and messages to his handset. (The Guardian)