Gunmen

File photo: Illustration image of gunmen

More than 300 suspected Lakurawa militants on motorcycles reportedly invaded Kebbe town in Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State on Friday, engaging security forces in a gun battle and attacking shops, a hospital and vehicles.

The heavily armed militants reportedly entered the town at about 10 a.m., prompting soldiers stationed at a military base on the outskirts of Kebbe to open fire on them.

A security expert in Sokoto, Bashar Altine, who disclosed the development, said four soldiers were allegedly killed during the exchange of fire.

However, the casualty figure could not be independently confirmed as of the time of filing this report.

The spokesman for the Sokoto State Police Command, DSP Ahmed Rufai, confirmed the incident when contacted by our correspondent, but said the command was still gathering information.

Rufai, however, said he could not confirm whether there were casualties, including the reported death of four soldiers.

He said the command would issue an official statement after obtaining details of the incident.

Efforts to obtain confirmation from the spokesman of the 8 Division, Nigerian Army, Lt. Col. Olaniyi Osoba, were unsuccessful, as he had not responded to a message sent to him as of the time of filing the report.

According to Altine, the militants, after engaging the soldiers, moved into the centre of Kebbe town, particularly the Sabon Gari area, where they reportedly broke into shops and carted away large quantities of mobile phones and bread.

He said the attackers also opened fire on a military vehicle fitted with a mounted rocket-propelled grenade (RPG), damaging three of its tyres and shattering its windscreen.

The militants, he added, later moved to the General Hospital, Kebbe, where they allegedly smashed the windows of vehicles parked within the premises, including a vehicle belonging to the Divisional Police Officer and an ambulance.

“They also seized mobile phones belonging to patients at the hospital,” Altine said.

He further alleged that the militants took away four motorcycles belonging to residents as they began withdrawing from the town.

According to him, the attackers eventually left Kebbe in the evening, heading towards communities west of the town, at the direction of the police station.

“Reports from villages West of Kebbe indicate that they entered Ungushi town, one of the districts in Kebbe Local Government Area,” he said.

Altine also said that, despite the reported exchange of fire with troops, there was no confirmation that any of the militants was killed.

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

The reported attack has heightened concerns over the activities and movement of Lakurawa militants in parts of Sokoto and neighbouring states.

Security agencies are expected to provide further details on the incident, including casualty figures and the attackers’ current whereabouts.