A police officer and two civilians were k!lled on Monday when suspected Lakurawa bandits raided Girkau community in Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State.
The attackers also injured several people, rustled an unspecified number of cattle, and set two security vehicles ablaze, one belonging to the Nigeria Police Force and the other to the Sokoto State Community Guard Corps.
Sokoto State Police Command spokesman Ahmed Rufai confirmed the incident on Tuesday. He said the command received a distress call and immediately deployed operatives who engaged the assailants in a gun battle and eventually repelled them.
“It is unfortunate that we lost one of our men during the attack,” Rufai said. “We received a distress call from the community and immediately mobilised our personnel to the scene. We were able to repel the Lakurawa bandits, but during the exchange of gunfire, one of our officers paid the supreme price. They burnt two vehicles, one belonging to the police and the other to the Sokoto State Community Guard Corps.”
Residents identified the dead as police officer Hussaini Manyu, an elderly man named Bala Wakili, and a young herder who was shot after refusing to hand over his cattle. A farmer was also shot while working on his farmland and is receiving treatment. Community sources further alleged that the attackers assaulted a married woman after she resisted an attempted sexual assault.
A community leader, who spoke anonymously for security reasons, described the raid as one of the worst in the area in recent months. “What happened in Girkau is heartbreaking. We lost a police officer who was defending the community, an elderly man and a young herder. They also burnt security vehicles and took away many cattle. Our people are living in fear because these attacks are becoming too frequent.”
Another resident said the community had earlier alerted security agencies about suspicious movements in the area. Residents have called on both the federal and Sokoto State governments to strengthen security across Kebbe and neighbouring local government areas.
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