Lakurawa militants attack Kebbe town in Sokoto, four soldiers feared dead

More than 300 suspected Lakurawa militants on motorcycles stormed Kebbe town in Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Friday. They clashed with security forces and attacked shops, a hospital, and vehicles.

The armed militants came into the town around 10 a.m. This made soldiers stationed at a military base near Kebbe open fire on them.

A security expert in Sokoto, Bashar Altine, said four soldiers were reportedly killed during the gunfight. But this casualty figure could not be independently confirmed at the time of this report.

The spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmed Rufai, confirmed the incident when our correspondent reached out. He said the command was still gathering information. Rufai could not confirm if there were any casualties, including the reported deaths of four soldiers.

He promised that the command would issue an official statement once they have more details about the incident.

Attempts to get confirmation from the spokesman of the 8 Division, Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. Olaniyi Osoba, were unsuccessful. He did not respond to a message sent to him at the time of filing the report.

According to Altine, after the fight with soldiers, the militants moved into the center of Kebbe town, especially the Sabon Gari area. There, they reportedly broke into shops and stole many mobile phones and bread.

He said the attackers also shot at a military vehicle with a mounted rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), damaging three of its tires and breaking its windscreen.

The militants then went to the General Hospital, Kebbe. They smashed the windows of vehicles parked there, including a vehicle belonging to the Divisional Police Officer and an ambulance.

“They also took mobile phones from patients at the hospital,” Altine said.

He also claimed that the militants left with four motorcycles belonging to residents as they began to pull out of the town.

Altine said the attackers left Kebbe in the evening, heading towards communities west of the town, in the direction of the police station.

“Reports from villages west of Kebbe show that they entered Ungushi town, one of the districts in Kebbe Local Government Area,” he stated.

Altine also noted that, despite the gunfire exchange with the troops, there was no confirmation that any militants were killed.

“As of the time of writing this report, we have not seen the body of even one Lakurawa fighter that soldiers managed to kill,” he said.

This attack has raised serious concerns about the movements and activities of Lakurawa militants in Sokoto and nearby states. Security agencies are expected to give further details about the incident, including casualty figures and the militants' current location.