Four people were killed, while a soldier was declared missing following a bandit attack on the Tudun Bicci community in the Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area of Kebbi State.
The Chairman of Danko/Wasagu Local Government Area, Hussaini Aliyu Bena, confirmed the incident in a telephone interview with newsmen on Thursday, clarifying conflicting reports surrounding the casualties.
According to him, the attack occurred when armed bandits invaded farmlands in the area, prompting a gun battle with security personnel and local forest guards.
He dismissed reports that a soldier was among those killed, explaining that the fatalities comprised two forest guards and two civilians.
“The reports circulating that a soldier was killed are not correct. The victims were two forest guards and two civilians, while one soldier is currently missing,” Bena said.
He disclosed that several bandits were also neutralised during the exchange of gunfire, while others escaped with gunshot injuries.
“Many of the bandits were killed during the encounter, while others fled into the forest with gunshot wounds,” he added.
The council chairman said the Kebbi State Government, in collaboration with security agencies and the local government, had intensified efforts to curb the recurring attacks and kidnappings in the area.
“The state government, working closely with security agencies and the local government, is taking decisive measures to bring an end to the incessant attacks and kidnappings in this area,” he said.
Bena attributed the persistent insecurity in Danko/Wasagu to the presence of bandit enclaves in neighbouring Zamfara and Niger states.
“The security challenges we are facing are largely due to the existence of bandits’ camps in neighbouring Zamfara and Niger states, from where these criminals launch attacks,” he said.
He appealed to residents to remain calm and continue supporting security agencies with credible information as efforts to restore lasting peace continued.
“We urge our people to remain calm and cooperate with security agencies. The government is committed to restoring peace and ensuring that lives and property are adequately protected,” Bena said.
Danko/Wasagu is one of the worst-hit local government areas in Kebbi State, sharing boundaries with parts of Zamfara and Niger states where armed bandit groups maintain hideouts in vast forest belts. The area has witnessed repeated attacks on farming communities, kidnappings for ransom, cattle rustling, and deadly ambushes on security personnel in recent years.
The latest incident comes just days after the abduction of a Kebbi State High Court judge, Justice Faruku Hassan Bunza, by suspected bandits, an attack that further heightened concerns over the deteriorating security situation in the state.
The reported demand for a N200m ransom for the judge’s release sparked renewed calls for stronger security operations across the North-West.
In response to the rising threats, Governor Nasir Idris recently convened a high-level security meeting involving heads of security agencies, local government chairmen, traditional rulers, and vigilante groups to strengthen the state’s security architecture and coordinate efforts to tackle banditry and other violent crimes.
Efforts to obtain the reaction of the Kebbi State Police Command were unsuccessful, as the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Bashir Usman, could not be reached for comment at the time of filing this report.
