Four soldiers have been killed following an attack by suspected Lakurawa terrorists in Kebbe, Kebbe Local Government Area of Sokoto State, on Friday.
The attackers, reportedly numbering more than 300, stormed the town on motorcycles and engaged troops in a fierce gun battle before allegedly attacking shops, vehicles and a hospital.
The heavily armed group was said to have arrived in Kebbe at about 10am, prompting soldiers deployed at a military base on the outskirts of the town to engage them.
A security expert in the state, Bashar Altine, who confirmed the incident, said four soldiers were feared to have died during the confrontation.
The reported casualty figure could not be independently verified at the time of filing this report.
The spokesman of the Command in Kebbi State, Ahmed Rufai, also confirmed that an attack occurred but said the command was still working to establish the details.
He said he could not confirm reports of casualties, including the alleged deaths of the four soldiers.
Altine said the attackers moved into the heart of Kebbe after the confrontation with the troops, particularly the Sabon Gari area, where they allegedly broke into shops and stole large quantities of mobile phones and bread.
He said the militants also attacked a military vehicle equipped with a mounted rocket-propelled grenade, damaging three tyres and breaking its windscreen.
The attackers reportedly proceeded to the General Hospital, Kebbe, where they allegedly smashed the windows of vehicles parked within the hospital premises, including the vehicle of the Divisional Police Officer and an ambulance.
“They also seized mobile phones belonging to patients at the hospital,” Altine added.
He further alleged that the terrorists took four motorcycles belonging to residents before beginning their withdrawal from the town.
According to Altine, the attackers eventually left Kebbe in the evening through the direction of the police station and proceeded towards communities west of the town.
“Reports from villages west of Kebbe indicate that they entered Ungushi town, one of the districts in Kebbe Local Government Area,” he said.
Altine said there was no confirmation that any of the attackers had been killed despite the reported gun battle with security forces.
“As of the time of writing this report, we have not seen the body of even one Lakurawa fighter that the soldiers succeeded in killing,” he said.
