Victims were local vigilantes who mobilized to stop cattle rustlers in Bui District; security forces deploy reinforcements as community mourns
Suspected bandits have killed at least 33 people in a devastating attack on multiple communities in Kebbi State, police confirmed Friday, in one of the deadliest raids to hit the state in recent months.
The assault occurred on Wednesday in Bui District, Arewa Local Government Area, when armed men believed to be Lakurawa militants crossed into the area from Gudu Local Government Area of neighboring Sokoto State with the intent to rustle cattle.
Communities Mobilized, Paid Dearly
According to a statement from Police Public Relations Officer SP Bashir Usman, residents of several villages—including Mamunu, Awasaka, Tungan Tsoho, Makangara, Kanzo, Gorun Naidal, and Dan Mai Ago—mobilized to confront the invaders.
"In the ensuing confrontation, 33 persons lost their lives," Usman confirmed.
The death toll underscores the dangerous reality facing rural communities in Nigeria's northwest, where citizens are often forced to choose between watching their livestock—their primary livelihood—being stolen and risking their lives to defend it.
Lakurawa: A Growing Threat
The Lakurawa group, which emerged from a splinter faction of Boko Haram and is now believed to be affiliated with the Islamic State-Sahel Province (ISSP), has been expanding its operations beyond its traditional strongholds. The militants are known for pressuring rural communities to reject Nigeria's secular state in favor of Sharia rule, and have been linked to a series of attacks across the northwest and north-central regions.
In late December 2025, President Donald Trump ordered airstrikes on a Lakurawa campsite in northern Nigeria. Following those strikes, a Nigerian lawmaker claimed that Lakurawa fighters fled to Kwara State, where they were implicated in the February 3-4 massacre of an estimated 170 civilians in Woro and Nuku communities.
Security Response
The Kebbi State Police Command has reinforced security presence in the affected communities in collaboration with the military and other security agencies. Additional personnel and operational assets have been deployed, with sustained area domination patrols ongoing to restore normalcy and prevent further attacks.
Usman urged residents to report suspicious movements through established security channels rather than confronting armed criminals directly, warning that such actions "pose grave risks to lives and property".
A Pattern of Violence
The Kebbi attack follows a series of deadly incidents across northern Nigeria. In late January, armed extremists killed at least 25 construction workers in an ambush in Borno State's Sabon Gari town, in an attack officials said bore "hallmarks pointing directly to Boko Haram insurgents". Hours earlier in the same town, extremists had raided an army base, killing nine soldiers and two members of a civilian task force.
The violence has spread beyond the northeast. In Kwara State, militants reportedly associated with Lakurawa operated openly around villages for months, pressuring residents to accept Sharia rule before carrying out a mass-casualty attack on February 3-4. Local residents had spotted unfamiliar men near their villages months before the massacre and warned authorities, but security forces were deployed only after the attack.
A Reactive Model Under Scrutiny
Policy analysts have criticized Nigeria's security approach as predominantly reactive, consistently mobilizing after mass violence rather than preventing it. The Foundation for Defense of Democracies noted that "the warning indicators were sustained and visible" before the Kwara massacre, with gunmen infiltrating surrounding forests, carrying out abductions, and sending written threats for five months prior.
While President Bola Tinubu has launched "Operation Savannah Shield" and deployed additional forces to affected areas, experts argue that Washington should use its leverage to push Abuja toward a preventive counterterrorism approach focused on acting earlier on local intelligence, disrupting emerging terrorist cells, and limiting militants' freedom of movement.
Ongoing Threat
The Kebbi attack comes amid heightened security concerns across the state. Just weeks ago, suspected terrorists wrote a letter to Utono community in Ngaski Local Government Area, demanding N100 million before they would be allowed to enter the town to "preach" .
As security forces continue targeted operations to track down the perpetrators, the people of Bui District bury their dead—33 neighbors, relatives, and friends who paid the ultimate price for defending their communities.
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