Suspected bandits attacked villages in a Kebbi local government on Sunday and killed at least 11 people, the police have said.
The attacks on villages in the Arewa Local Government Area (LGA) of Kebbi were properly coordinated, police spokesperson Nafi’u Abubakar said in a statement.
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Kebbi is one of the states in northern Nigeria where armed groups, locally called bandits, routinely attack rural communities and travellers.
Mr Abubakar said the bandits that carried out the Sunday night attack used ‘sophisticated weapons’ and are suspected to be members of the Lakurawa terror group.
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“On 09/03/2025 at about 2047hrs, suspected Lakurawa bandits in their large numbers with sophisticated weapons invaded Dogon Daji, Danmarke, Yar Goru, Tambo, Birnin Debi, Garin Nagoro and Garin Rugga villages,” he wrote in the Monday statement.
He said all the attacked villages are in “Arewa LGA and are border communities between Nigeria and Niger Republic.”
“As a result, 11 people lost their lives, and two others sustained gunshot wounds. The suspected bandits also set ablaze some houses in the affected villages,” he stated.
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The police spokesperson added that upon receiving the report, the Commissioner of Police in the state, Bello Sani, swiftly mobilised to the scene for an on-the-spot assessment.
He said the police chief interacted with the police, army, civil defence, and the vigilance group that had been deployed to the areas to combat crimes.
“The CP equally condemned the unfortunate incident and instantly reviewed the security architecture of the area by deploying additional tactical teams.
“He charged them to decisively deal with suspected Lakurawa bandits operating in the area.
“The CP also had a meeting with critical stakeholders in the area, where he commiserated with them, and appealed to them to always assist the police and other security agencies with relevant and timely information for prompt response.”
Apart from Kebbi, other states in northern Nigeria where such groups operate include Zamfara, Katsina, Sokoto and Niger.
The bandits kill some of their victims and kidnap others for ransom, using the money to finance their operations.
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Although many bandits and their leaders have been killed by security forces, others continue to operate in the region.
Sunday’s attack occurred three days after security operatives killed a notorious bandit kingpin, Maigemu, in the same Kebbi State.
PREMIUM TIMES reported that the state’s Director of Security, Cabinet Office, AbdulRahman Usman-Zagga, announced the killing in a statement on Friday.
He said Maigemu was killed on Thursday at Kuncin Baba in Arewa Local Government Area, a remote area with challenging terrain, after a fierce gun battle.
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