Suspected Lakurawa terrorists have reportedly killed four Nigerian soldiers during an attack on Kebbe town in Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State, in one of the latest security incidents linked to the terror group operating around the Nigeria-Niger border.
According to reports, more than 300 suspected militants, travelling on motorcycles and heavily armed, invaded Kebbe at about 10am on Friday. The attackers engaged soldiers stationed at a military base on the outskirts of the town in a gun battle.
A security expert in Sokoto, Bashar Altine, said four soldiers were feared killed during the exchange of gunfire. However, the casualty figure had not been independently confirmed at the time of the report.
The spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmed Rufai, confirmed that an attack occurred but said the command was still gathering information. He could not independently confirm the reported deaths of the soldiers.
Similarly, efforts to obtain confirmation from the spokesman of the Nigerian Army’s 8 Division, Lt. Col. Olaniyi Osoba, were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
Following the confrontation with the soldiers, the attackers reportedly moved into the centre of Kebbe, particularly the Sabon Gari area, where they allegedly broke into shops and made away with goods including mobile phones and bread.
The reported attack highlights the continuing security challenges in parts of Sokoto, where the Lakurawa group has been linked to attacks on communities and security personnel.
Lakurawa is a cross-border armed group that has operated around parts of Sokoto and Kebbi states, with its activities reportedly extending towards Niger Republic. The group has previously been linked to attacks on Nigerian security personnel in the region.
In August 2024, the Nigerian military confirmed that four soldiers were killed after troops of Operation Hadarin Daji were ambushed in the Bachaka Kurya Forest in Gudu Local Government Area of Sokoto, close to the Nigerien border. The military said the bodies of some of the terrorists killed during that encounter indicated that the attackers belonged to Lakurawa.
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