Terrorists kill three Airtel workers in Kebbi – Police

Suspected Lakurawa terrorists have killed three workers of a telecoms firm, Airtel, in an ambush in Kebbi State.

The police said the workers were installing a surveillance mast when the terrorists attacked them on Friday evening in Gumki, a village in Arewa Local Government Area.

The Kebbi State Police Command spokesperson, Nafiu Abubakar, disclosed the attack in a statement.

Officers of the Nigerian Immigration Service (NIS) were at the location with the telecoms firm’s workers during the ambush, but the police said the three persons killed were Airtel workers.

Mr Abubakar said upon receiving reports of the attack, the Kebbi State Police Commissioner, Bello Sani, and the state’s Comptroller of Immigration, Muhammad Lawali, visited the scene and oversaw the evacuation of the bodies to the Sir Yahaya Memorial Hospital in Birnin Kebbi.

He said Mr Bello reviewed the area’s security strategy and deployed additional tactical teams to check bandits operating in the area.

The police commissioner also met with key stakeholders in the area, urging them to provide timely information to aid security operations.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that the attack comes barely a week after the terrorist group killed two police officers and rustled over 200 cows at Natseni, a village in Argungu Local Government Area of the state.

READ ALSO: Nigerian troops kill 109 terrorists in one week – DHQ

Lakurawa is an armed group operating in northwestern Nigeria. It was initially formed as a self-defence force but has evolved into a radical organisation imposing strict Islamic rules on rural communities and attacking civilians and security forces.

Its activities have raised concerns about a resurgence of Islamic extremism in Nigeria, similar to Boko Haram in the north-east region of the country.

The group’s presence is destabilising the region as the terrorists have displaced many residents.