Posted by BBC News on
An angry crowd in Nigeria has hacked five anti-drug agents to death in the northern state of Kano, in the belief they were armed robbers.
An angry crowd in Nigeria has hacked five anti-drug agents to death in the northern state of Kano, in the belief they were armed robbers.
The incident happened after residents in Kabo village were given false information by a man arrested for drug dealing, authorities said.
Dozens of people then formed quickly and attacked the men with machetes.
A BBC correspondent in Kano says police have detained three people in connection with the killings.
"The officers were in the area to arrest a drug baron who specialised in peddling marijuana and diazepam when they were killed by a bunch of hoodlums," Mohamed Malami Sokoto, head of Kano's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, told a news conference.
The suspect called for help from bystanders, claiming he was under attack from armed robbers.
Two informants were also killed by the mob in Garo, about 50km west of Kano city, Mr Sokoto said.
Correspondents say Nigeria is plagued by violent crime, and a lack of faith in the police is one reason behind the growth of vigilante groups and ethnic militias across the country.