At least ten police officers, 17 suspected bandits, and two civilians were killed on Monday when Nigerian police confronted a heavily armed group of approximately 240 men travelling on more than 200 motorcycles from Zamfara State into Kebbi State, in northwestern Nigeria, according to a police spokesman.
Ten Police Officers Killed in Clash with Armed Group in Nigeria's Kebbi State
At least ten police officers, 17 suspected bandits, and two civilians were killed on Monday when Nigerian police confronted a heavily armed group of approximately 240 men travelling on more than 200 motorcycles from Zamfara State into Kebbi State, in northwestern Nigeria, according to a police spokesman.
Police spokesman Bashir Usman told AFP that two additional officers sustained injuries in the engagement and were receiving medical attention. He noted that final casualty figures were still being assessed.
Kebbi State, along with other northwestern and central Nigerian states, has experienced persistent activity by armed criminal groups reportedly involved in cattle rustling and kidnappings for ransom.
The previous month, at least 20 people were killed when armed men attacked villages in neighbouring Zamfara State.
According to a report published by the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research in March, more than half a million people have been displaced by violence across Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara states.
- The source does not establish the identity or affiliation of the armed group beyond the label 'bandits'
- The source does not confirm the final, verified casualty figures, as authorities stated assessments were ongoing
- The source does not describe what prompted the group's movement from Zamfara to Kebbi State
- The source does not state whether any suspects were arrested
- The source does not detail what weapons the armed group carried beyond describing them as 'heavily armed'
- The source does not provide an independent or non-police account of the incident
Read the original at Al Jazeera English