Iliyasu Abdullahi Bah
Kebbi State officials have confirmed an armed assault on a Mobile Police (MOPOL) outpost in Makuku village, Zuru LGA, where attackers seized multiple rifles after overpowering security personnel.
Abdulrahman Zagga, Director of Security at the Kebbi Cabinet Office, disclosed the incident to journalists in Bagudo LGA on Saturday. He clarified that the targeted facility was a temporary field post, not a permanent police station as earlier speculated.
Zagga stated that Hundreds of bandits stormed the post, engaging officers in a prolonged fire exchange. The bandit set a Toyota patrol Hilux ablaze and escaped with an unspecified number of rifles.
Upon learning of the attack, the state government requested Nigerian Air Force support, which forced the bandit to retreat.
Zagga noted that most bandits infiltrated from Zamfara and Niger states, exploiting Makuku’s proximity to Niger’s border. He emphasized Kebbi’s no amnesty policy toward bandits, unlike some neighboring states.
He pointed out that informants remain a major obstacle in the fight against banditry and noted that attacks tend to intensify during the rainy season due to extortion tactics used against farming communities.
“Once they demand money from a community and it is paid, the bandits may temporarily leave that community alone. But once the money runs out, they move on to another community to extort. That’s why many communities remain in constant fear,” he added.
However, Kebbi State Command Police image maker, CSP, Nafiu Abubakar, could not be reached for comment as of the time of filing this report.