Seventeen suspected bandits and 10 police officers were killed on Monday after security operatives clashed with a heavily armed group moving from Zamfara State into Kebbi State.
Two civilians also died in the clash around the Rafin Makuku axis of Sakaba Local Government Area, while two police officers were injured.
The attackers reportedly came from the Sangeko Gap area of Dansadau District in Maru Local Government Area of Zamfara State.
Residents estimated the group at about 240 armed men riding more than 200 motorcycles.
A Makuku resident, Musa Sani, said the bandits moved in three groups and spent the night in a forest between Kakihum and Makuku before heading towards Maburya on Monday morning.
According to Sani, the group met a mobile police checkpoint while trying to enter the community and overpowered the officers. He said 10 mobile policemen and two civilians were killed, while the attackers took the rifles of the slain officers.
Kebbi State Police Command spokesperson, DSP Bashir Usman, confirmed that 17 suspected bandits had been neutralised.
Usman said police operatives intercepted the armed group along the Rafin Makuku axis as it moved between Zamfara and Kebbi states. He added that four motorcycles belonging to the attackers were burnt during the clash.
However, he said the casualty figure was still being verified.
Usman confirmed that 10 police personnel were killed, while two others were injured and taken for treatment. Two civilians also died.
He described the dead officers as gallant personnel who fought with courage and professionalism.
The command said its priorities were supporting the families of the deceased, caring for the injured and intensifying operations against fleeing members of the armed group.
