Gunmen killed at least nine Nigerian soldiers and wounded several others in an attack in the northwestern state of Kebbi, according to security sources and local officials on Wednesday, in the latest sign of worsening insecurity in the region.
The attack occurred late on Tuesday near a military base in the Shanga district, where troops were reportedly on patrol when they came under heavy fire from armed assailants. Two military sources and a local resident said the soldiers were ambushed in what appeared to be a coordinated assault.
The sources said suspicion had fallen on the Lakurawa militant group, which operates in the area and has previously targeted Nigerian security forces, although no group has officially claimed responsibility.
Kebbi, which borders both Benin and Niger, has increasingly become a hotspot for armed violence, with criminal kidnapping gangs operating alongside Islamist militants who are expanding their footprint across northwestern Nigeria.
State governor Nasir Idris confirmed the attack after visiting wounded soldiers, but did not disclose an official death toll.
The Nigerian army has yet to issue a formal statement on the incident.
The assault underscores the persistent security challenges facing President Bola Tinubu’s administration, nearly three years after he took office, as authorities struggle to contain a complex mix of insurgency, banditry, and cross-border militant activity in several parts of the country.
