Armed bandits in large numbers have attacked a mobile police outpost in Makuku village, Zuru Local Government Area of Kebbi State, carting away several rifles and setting a patrol vehicle ablaze.
The Kebbi State Government confirmed the incident, which occurred on Thursday, describing it as a coordinated assault on the temporary security base.
Speaking to journalists in Bagudo on Saturday, Abdulrahman Zagga, Director of Security at the Kebbi State Cabinet Office, said the attackers are believed to have infiltrated the area from neighbouring Zamfara and Niger States.
He revealed that the mobile police officers stationed there engaged the gunmen in a fierce shootout before being forced to retreat due to the overwhelming number of assailants.
“They set a Toyota Hilux patrol vehicle on fire and escaped with several rifles,” Zagga stated, clarifying that the target was not a permanent police station but a mobile outpost, which was more vulnerable to attack.
He noted that the state government immediately contacted the Nigerian Air Force, whose swift intervention forced the attackers to retreat into nearby forests.
Zagga attributed the rising insecurity in the area to its strategic border location and reiterated the state’s refusal to enter into peace deals with bandits. “We believe in confronting them through legitimate security operations,” he emphasized.
He also decried the role of local informants in aiding the attackers and highlighted how farming communities are often targeted during the rainy season.
“They extort money from one community, vanish, and return to attack another once the funds are exhausted. This cycle leaves residents in constant fear,” he said.