Gunmen suspected to be members of the Lakurawa terrorist group have attacked a Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) checkpoint at Bakin Ruwa, along the Maje border axis in Bagudo Local Government Area of Kebbi State, killing three officers on duty in a midnight assault. Witnesses said the attackers stormed the post around midnight on Wednesday, opening fire on the immigration personnel before escaping through nearby bushes under the cover of darkness.
Multiple local sources confirmed that the heavily armed assailants struck without warning, leaving residents of surrounding border communities in panic. “They came in large numbers and started shooting sporadically. Everyone ran for dear life,” a resident, who asked not to be named for security reasons, recounted. Another source disclosed that the terrorists also torched parts of the facility, with reports from the area indicating that an official patrol vehicle and officers’ quarters were set ablaze during the raid.
The Kebbi State Police Command’s spokesperson, Nafiu Abubakar, described information about the attack as “still sketchy,” but confirmed that security agencies had launched investigations and intensified patrols along the border corridor. Efforts by journalists to obtain an official reaction from the Nigeria Immigration Service in Kebbi were unsuccessful, as NIS officials were said to be “unavailable” at the time of filing the report. However, officers and other security operatives in Bagudo, speaking anonymously, expressed fear over what they called the “growing audacity” of the Lakurawa group and the vulnerability of isolated border posts.
This latest incident comes barely weeks after suspected Lakurawa fighters reportedly killed a Nigeria Customs Service officer in a similar attack in the same Maje axis, where they also burnt vehicles and government property. The group—designated a terrorist organisation by the Federal Government earlier in the year—has been linked to several assaults on security personnel and civilians across north‑western Nigeria, including extortion, cattle rustling, and targeted ambushes.
Residents and security analysts warn that the repeated attacks highlight serious gaps in border security and call for urgent reinforcement of manpower, intelligence, and equipment in frontier communities. As investigations continue, families of the slain officers and local inhabitants are demanding concrete measures from federal and state authorities to prevent further bloodshed and restore a sense of safety along the Nigeria–Benin border corridor in Kebbi State.
