The Kebbi State Police Command has arrested three suspected members of the Mamudawa Boko Haram sect, alongside four suspected Lakurawa bandits and their logistics suppliers, across various locations in the state.
Commissioner of Police Umar M. Hadejia announced the breakthroughs during a press conference in Birnin Kebbi, attributing the major operational successes to seamless collaboration among security agencies, vigilante groups, and the Civilian Joint Task Force (JTF).
According to the police chief, operatives of the Police Mobile Force attached to the Illo Division in Bagudo Local Government Area intercepted and arrested three suspected Mamudawa Boko Haram members on June 5, 2026.
The suspects—Muhammadu Bandi, Aliyu Abubakar, and Muhammadu Abubakar—were caught riding a foreign-registered motorcycle along the Illo-Lolo Road, allegedly en route to procure food supplies for their group.
Preliminary investigations have already linked the trio to movements in the area during a deadly attack just a day prior, which claimed the lives of three Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) personnel.
In a parallel crackdown on June 7, 2026, special duty mobile police personnel operating along the Ka’oje-Bakin Ruwa Road apprehended four suspected Lakurawa bandits: Haruna Abubakar, Abubakar Lawali, Anme Shehu, and Yahaya Shehu.
The suspects are currently under investigation by the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) for their alleged involvement in armed banditry within the SODA Forest.
Additionally, police arrested Murtala Sani of Zazzagawa Village for allegedly providing logistics, including food and soft drinks, to the Lakurawa network and transporting a known terrorist suspect to a criminal enclave.
The command’s sweeping operations also led to the rescue of a kidnapped housewife, Asmau Isah, and the arrest of her suspected abductor, Abubakar Siddi.
Furthermore, two other accomplices, Ayuba Ibrahim and Aliyu Jibrin, were detained in separate raids within the Bagudo and Arewa Local Government Areas, yielding a recovered pump-action rifle, live cartridges, and a locally made pistol.
CP Hadejia commended the bravery of the security forces and the Civilian JTF, emphasizing that such robust community cooperation remains vital to completely eradicating insurgency and banditry in Kebbi State.
