GUNMEN in Nigeria ambushed and killed 21 government-backed fighters, authorities reported on Saturday.

The ambush took place as a convoy of pro-government fighters was returning from a funeral in the village of Baure, in the Safana district of Katsina State, when they came under fire from bandits.

Katsina police spokesman Abubakar Sadiq Aliyu said that the attack took place last Tuesday and “sadly, 21 persons were fatally shot as a result of the attack.”