Bagudo Local Government Area, Kebbi State, Nigeria – Suspected members of the Lakurawa armed group launched a deadly attack on a police checkpoint in northwestern Nigeria during the early hours of Thursday, March 5, 2026, killing two police officers and destroying the security post.
The assault took place at the Bakinruwa/Maje checkpoint in Bagudo Local Government Area of Kebbi State, a region in northwestern Nigeria that shares a border with the Republic of Niger. According to local residents, heavily armed gunmen arrived in large numbers and overwhelmed the police officers stationed at the checkpoint.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers stormed the location while the officers were performing routine security duties. The gunmen reportedly overpowered the officers before setting fire to the tent used as the checkpoint shelter.
A resident of the community, who asked not to be named because of security concerns, described how the attack unfolded.
“The gunmen came in large numbers and attacked the checkpoint. The policemen tried to resist them, but they were overpowered. After killing the officers, they set the tent at the checkpoint on fire before leaving the area,” the source said.
The incident was later confirmed by the Kebbi State Police Command of the Nigeria Police Force, the national law enforcement agency responsible for policing across Nigeria.
Speaking to journalists on Friday, March 6, 2026, the Police Public Relations Officer of the Kebbi State Police Command, Superintendent of Police Bashir Usman, confirmed that two officers died in the attack.
He said, “Yes, there was an attack at the Bakinruwa/Maje checkpoint in Bagudo Local Government Area.
“They killed two of our officers and burnt down the checkpoint, but the police are on top of the situation. I will issue further details.”
Okay News reports that the latest incident marks the third known security attack along the Bakinruwa–Maje border corridor in recent months. The remote area has increasingly become a hotspot for violent assaults targeting security personnel and border authorities.
Previous attacks in the same corridor reportedly resulted in the deaths of officers from the Nigeria Customs Service, the federal agency responsible for border and trade enforcement, and the Nigeria Immigration Service, the government body that manages immigration control and border entry.
The repeated attacks have heightened fear among residents of communities located near the international border, where security forces have struggled to contain armed groups operating in remote terrain.
Security officials say surveillance operations and patrol activities have been intensified across the affected corridor in an effort to prevent further attacks and identify the perpetrators responsible for the violence.
Authorities have not yet announced arrests linked to the latest attack, but investigations are ongoing as security agencies continue efforts to restore safety in the region.
