Police confirm Sokoto attack, army silent on casualties
Police have confirmed a Lakurawa terrorist attack on Kebbe town in Sokoto State, but the Army declined to confirm reports that four soldiers were killed during the confrontation.
The police have confirmed that suspected Lakurawa terrorists attacked Kebbe town in Sokoto State on Friday, saying security personnel responded and reinforcements were deployed to the area. The police also said no civilian was killed or injured in the attack. Reports published after the incident said four soldiers were killed during the confrontation, but the Nigerian Army did not confirm the reported death toll when contacted.
The spokesperson for the Sokoto State Police Command, Ahmad Rufai, told PREMIUM TIMES that a large number of armed fighters entered Kebbe, the headquarters of Kebbe Local Government Area, on Friday morning and engaged security personnel. He said police personnel responded to the attack and suffered no casualties. “They attacked and we were able to respond, but we don’t have any casualty from our side,” Mr Rufai said.
When contacted, the military spokesperson declined to confirm or deny the casualty figure, citing security protocols governing the disclosure of operational information. Mr Osoba said that details concerning military operations and casualties could not be provided remotely and advised this reporter to visit the Headquarters, 8 Division, at Giginya Military Cantonment in Sokoto, or to await a formal statement from the division.
The Kebbe attack comes amid continuing security operations against Lakurawa and other armed groups in Sokoto, Kebbi and other parts of the North-west. The army’s refusal to confirm the casualty figures is a familiar pattern in Nigeria’s counter-insurgency operations. The government often seeks to control the narrative, but the silence can be as damaging as the news itself.
This echoes the 2022 attacks in the North-west, which also saw the military decline to confirm casualties. The mechanism then was different, but the result was the same: a lack of transparency that fuels speculation.
The winners: the security forces, which repelled the attack; and the residents of Kebbe, who were protected. The losers: the families of the soldiers allegedly killed; and the Nigerian government, which faces questions about its counter-insurgency efforts.
Bottom Line: Lakurawa terrorists attacked Sokoto. The army won’t say if soldiers died. The silence is deafening. The question is whether the government will provide transparency or leave the public in the dark.