Key Points

• Gunmen ambushed troops in Kebbi State Tuesday night, killing nine soldiers and a police officer in Giro Masa community.
• Attackers set two military gun trucks ablaze during the assault, which also left an unspecified number of civilians dead or wounded.
• Governor Nasir Idris pledged state funding for medical bills of survivors and financial support for families of the slain security personnel.

Gunmen killed nine soldiers and a police officer Tuesday night in an ambush at Giro Masa community in Shanga Local Government Area of Kebbi State, the state governor confirmed Wednesday.

The attackers also torched two military gun trucks during the assault, which left an unspecified number of civilians dead or wounded.

Governor visits hospital, pledges support for victims’ families

Kebbi State Governor Nasir Idris confirmed the attack after visiting the mortuary and Accident and Emergency unit of the Federal Teaching Hospital in Birnin Kebbi, where wounded survivors were receiving treatment.

Speaking to journalists at the hospital, Idris called the incident tragic and said his government would cover medical bills for the injured. He also pledged financial support to the families of security personnel killed in the assault.

“This is a sad incident,” Idris said. “These are the soldiers who protect the lives of Kebbi residents, yet they found themselves in this situation. The Kebbi State Government will not relent in its efforts to protect the lives of its citizens.”

The governor prayed for the souls of the dead and reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to improving security across Kebbi. He later traveled to the attack site for a firsthand assessment of the area.

Kebbi faces rising security pressure

The ambush adds to a troubling pattern of armed attacks in northwestern Nigeria, a region that has seen persistent violence from armed gangs locally known as bandits.

Kebbi, Zamfara, Sokoto and Katsina states have all recorded deadly raids on communities and security forces in recent years.

Shanga Local Government Area, where Tuesday’s attack occurred, sits near the border with Niger Republic, a stretch of territory that security analysts have flagged as particularly difficult to police because of its remote terrain and porous boundaries.

The Nigerian military has carried out air and ground operations across the northwest in response to sustained bandit activity, but armed groups have continued to strike with frequency, often targeting convoys and troop movements.

The attack on Giro Masa is one of the deadliest single incidents involving soldiers in the state in recent memory. Burning military vehicles is a tactic that armed groups in the region have used before, often as a way to disable pursuit and signal capability.

No group had claimed responsibility for the attack as of Wednesday. The Nigerian Army had not issued an official statement on the incident by the time of publication.