Nigeria: Police Inspector, 11 Others Killed as Terrorists Attack Kebbi Villages

At least 12 people, including a police inspector, have been killed in separate attacks in Kebbi State, police have confirmed.

The attacks occurred on October 26 and 28 in communities along the Karwa, Kestu and Waiwayi axis in Koko-Besse Local Government Area. The police said five people were killed on October 26 and seven others, including a police inspector, were killed on October 28.

The Kebbi State Police Command identified the attackers as suspected Mamudawa/Lakurawa terrorists and said joint security teams repelled the attacks.

However, accounts from the affected communities put the death toll higher. A video from Waiwayi village obtained by SaharaReporters showed burnt houses, motorcycles and looted shops, with the narrator claiming up to 20 people were killed and residents forced to flee to Koko town.

The police said the crisis was triggered by rumours of alleged cattle rustling and an imminent attack, which led to the mobilization of vigilantes known as Yan Sakai who allegedly attacked Fulani traders at Samanaji Market on October 22.

"Three Fulani people lost their lives, while a police inspector sustained injuries in the line of duty," the command's spokesperson, SP Bashir Usman, said.

Usman said the displacement of residents from villages along the Besse/Shanga riverine axis was an offshoot of reprisal attacks, adding that additional Police Mobile Force, tactical and conventional teams have been deployed to restore peace.

He said the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar M. Hadejia, has ordered clearance, search-and-rescue and confidence-building operations across the affected areas, while investigations are ongoing.