At least 17 suspected bandits and 10 police officers were killed on Monday when security operatives confronted a heavily armed gang attempting to move from Zamfara State into Kebbi State.
Two civilians were also caught in the deadly encounter around the Rafin Makuku axis of Sakaba Local Government Area of Kebbi State, while several others were reportedly injured.
The attackers, estimated by residents to be about 240 and travelling on more than 200 motorcycles, were said to have moved from the Sangeko Gap area of Dansadau District in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
A resident of Makuku, Malam Musa Sani, said the bandits travelled in three separate formations before settling overnight in a forest between Kakihum and Makuku.
According to him, the heavily armed men resumed their movement towards Maburya on Monday morning but ran into a mobile police checkpoint as they attempted to enter the community.
Sani alleged that the bandits overpowered the policemen at the checkpoint, killing 10 mobile police officers and two civilians before fleeing with the officers’ rifles.
Confirming the bloody encounter, the Kebbi State Police Command said 17 suspected bandits had so far been assessed to have been neutralised during the operation.
The command’s spokesperson, DSP Bashir Usman, said police operatives intercepted and engaged the heavily armed group as they moved between Zamfara and Kebbi States along the Rafin Makuku axis of Sakaba.
Usman disclosed that four motorcycles belonging to the attackers were also burnt during the fierce encounter, stressing that the casualty figures were still being verified.
He further confirmed that 10 police personnel were killed in the battle, while two others sustained injuries and were receiving treatment.
Two civilians were also confirmed dead in the attack.
The police spokesperson described the slain officers as gallant personnel who fought courageously and professionally until they paid the ultimate price in the line of duty.
He said the command’s immediate focus was on supporting the bereaved families, providing medical care for the injured officers and intensifying follow-up operations to track down the fleeing bandits.
