Nigerian Militants Ambush Security Forces, Killing 11 in Northwest Attack

Armed militants attacked Nigerian security forces responding to a distress call in Kebbi state, killing nine soldiers, one police officer, and a civilian. The assault occurred in a remote northwestern region where extremist groups frequently target government forces and local communities.

ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — Eleven people died when armed militants launched an ambush against Nigerian security personnel who were responding to an emergency call in the country’s northwest Kebbi state, government officials reported Wednesday.

The deadly assault took place late Tuesday in Kebbi’s Shanga council area, where security forces were being sent to address intelligence warnings of an imminent attack, state government spokesperson Yahaya Sarki confirmed. Nine soldiers, one police officer, and one civilian were killed in the violence.

Additional soldiers sustained injuries during the confrontation in Giron Masa village, Sarki reported, while sharing images showing destroyed vehicles on a dirt road cutting through forested terrain.

State Governor Nasir Idris made a hospital visit to see the wounded troops and acknowledged the significant casualties from the incident. “Those that lost their lives, the government of Kebbi state will do everything to assist the families,” he stated.

This deadly encounter represents another episode in the ongoing violence plaguing Nigeria’s conflict-torn northwestern territories, where militant organizations regularly assault government security personnel and isolated rural settlements in regions where official authority remains weak.

While no organization has taken credit for Tuesday’s violence, local residents believe the Islamic State Sahel Province (ISSP), locally called Lakurawa, may be responsible. This group has intensified its deadly operations recently in border states including Kebbi and Sokoto, which share a porous frontier with Niger Republic.

U.S. forces conducted a strike against Lakurawa inside Nigeria during December, working alongside Nigerian military units. The American intervention followed President Donald Trump’s accusations that Christians were being systematically killed in Nigeria.

Nigerian defense officials have previously stated that Lakurawa originated in neighboring Niger and expanded its Nigerian border operations after a 2023 military takeover in Niger damaged diplomatic ties between the two nations.