President Muhammadu Buhari has condemned what he called the “horrific attack” on vigilantes at Yargoje forest in Kankara Local Government Area of Katsina State, where many lives were lost.

The bandits had ambushed a convoy of vigilantes in the forest as they went to recover stolen cows leading to the killings.

The President, in a statement issued Sunday by his spokesman, Malam Garba Shehu, paid tribute to all those vigilantes and family members who had been martyred on Sunday.

President Buhari said the sacrifices of the “brave men” who were re-working to prevent and punish crimes in their communities would not be forgotten.

Our thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved families in this difficult period. May Allah repose the soul of the deceased,” the President prayed.

Already, the death toll from the attack by bandits had risen to 84.

The Katsina State Government had pledged to inaugurate a commission of inquiry to investigate the immediate and remote causes of the killings.

The special adviser to Governor Aminu Bello Masari on security matters, Mr Ibrahim Ahmed-Katsina, who disclosed this Friday night while addressing some journalists at his residence in Katsina, said the government would also assist families of the victims.

When contacted, the police spokesman in Katsina, SP Gambo Isah said that some operations were ongoing in the affected areas