BIRNIN KEBBI / ABUJA — Panic gripped rural communities in Kebbi State on Friday as residents abandoned cooking fires, grabbed children, and fled barefoot through dusty compounds, according to video footage widely shared on social media.
The clip shows women in traditional attire running past scattered pots and basins, children racing across open ground, and men scrambling onto motorcycles or on foot amid rising dust in what appears to be a riverside settlement. The poster described the scene as “Kebbi today,” writing: “Mothers are abandoning food on the fire, children are running barefoot, and fathers are fleeing with nothing. While Tinubu is in Makkah, who will save the village?”
The footage aligns with confirmed reports of d3adly attacks and displacement in the Besse/Shanga riverine axis, particularly around communities including Waiwayi, Karwa and Kestu in Koko-Besse Local Government Area, between October 22 and 28.
Subsequent reprisal attacks and assaults by suspected Mamudawa/Lakurawa terrorists on October 26 and 28 left additional victims dead, including the inspector. Police said joint security teams repelled the later attacks. Some residents and other media reports put the toll higher, with claims of more than 20 deaths, burnt houses, looted shops and motorcycles destroyed. Displaced villagers have fled toward Koko town and other safer areas.
Usman said the Commissioner of Police, CP Umar Hadejia, had deployed additional personnel and joint teams to the affected riverine communities, where difficult terrain and access via the River Niger have complicated operations. Authorities urged residents to remain calm and avoid spreading unverified information.
The viral video and reports of fresh displacement coincided with President Bola Tinubu’s presence in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, where he performed Umrah (the lesser pilgrimage) early on Friday. Tinubu, who departed Abuja on Thursday, circumambulated the Ka’abah at the Grand Mosque and offered prayers for Nigeria’s peace, unity, stability and an end to insecurity.
In a statement, Special Adviser on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga said the President expressed gratitude to Allah and prayed for lasting relief from insecurity and other challenges. “We have just prayed for our nation, for everyone to live in peace and harmony, happiness and faith in God Almighty,” Tinubu said after the rites.
Kebbi has faced repeated pressure from armed groups, including Lakurawa terrorists operating across forest and border areas with Niger Republic. Recent months have seen attacks on military bases, construction sites, villages and abductions, contributing to broader displacement across several local government areas.
Security agencies say operations continue under the Joint Task Force North West (Operation Fansan Yamma). No immediate additional comment was available Friday from the Presidency or the Kebbi State government on the latest displacements beyond the police updates.
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