2.3.5. Kebbi

2.3.5. Kebbi

Kebbi state is comprised of the following 21 LGAs: Aleiro, Arewa Dandi, Argungu, Augie, Bagudu, Birnin Kebbi, Bunza, Dandi, Fakai, Gwandu, Jega, Kalgo, Koko/Besse, Maiyama, Ngaski, Sakaba, Shanga, Suru, Wasagu/Danko, Yauri, Zuru.1109 The capital city is Birnin Kebbi.1110

The major ethnic groups in the state include Hausa,1111 Fulani, Dakarki (or Dakarawa).1112 There are also some members of the ethnic groups known as the Bussawa, Dukawa, Kambari, and Kamuku in the state.1113 Kebbi state has a Muslim majority and minorities of Christians and followers of indigenous religions in the south.1114

UNFPA and the US Census Bureau projected the state’s population at 5 563 907 in 2022, based on figures from the 2006 census.1115

a) Conflict dynamics and main actors

For a general overview on actors in Nigeria, please see section 1.1 Main Actors.

During the reference period, attacks and abductions by armed men and bandit groups, including Lakurawa,1116 were reported. These led to civilian killings,1117 as well as cattle rustling1118 and arson.1119 Lakurawa reportedly emerged in northern Kebbi in September 2024,1120 and the authorities acknowledged their existence for the first time in November of that year, noting that the group has a headquarters in Kebbi state.1121 FEWS NET reported a significant increase in the number of civilians targeted in bandit-related violence in early 2024.1122 Between May 2023 and May 2025, Amnesty International reported that the emergence of Lakurawa had ‘opened a new frontier of bloodshed in Kebbi state where at least 70 people were killed in 22 attacks’.1123 In May 2025, the chairman of the Danko-Wasugu LGA reportedly stated that there was a ‘a growing trend’ of bandits using Kebbi as a ‘soft target for attacks and abductions’.1124

Government raids and operations against armed groups,1125 including airstrikes, were reported in Kebbi state during the reference period,1126 including operations targeting Lakurawa.1127

Vigilante forces reportedly also existed in Kebbi state in the reference period.1128

b) Security incidents and impact on the population

For the period between 1 January 2024 and 31 August 2025, ACLED recorded 70 security incidents (defined as battles, explosions/remote violence, violence against civilians, and riots) in Kebbi state, which resulted in 156 fatalities. Of these incidents, 40 were coded as incidents of violence against civilians, 28 were coded as battles, and 2 as riots.1129

Security incidents were recorded by ACLED in 18 LGAs of the state, with the highest number documented in Danko (19), followed by Arewa (12), Shanga (9), as well as Suru and Augie (5 incidents each) LGAs. No incidents were recorded in 3 LGAs. According to ACLED, Kebbi communal militia, unidentified armed groups, and ISSP (coded as either ‘Actor 1’ or ‘Actor 2’) were involved in the majority of incidents coded as violence against civilians.1131

According to Nigeria Watch, regarding deaths resulting from farmer-herder clashes in 2024, Kebbi was among the three least-affected states, recording no fatalities.1132

In mid-June 2025, bandits stormed the village of Tadurga in the Zuru LGA, killing and abducting several people and looting and stealing cattle.1133

On 8 November 2024, clashes broke out between residents of Mera village in Augie LGA and the Lakurawa, resulting in 15 casualties.1134 In response to the killing of a Lakurawa leader by security forces, Lakurawa attacked eight villages in the Arewa area in early March 2025, killing 13 people1135 and setting the villages on fire.1136

Conflict-related infrastructure damage - No information could be found during the reference period.

Road security - On 8 December 2024, armed bandits barricaded the road between Mairairai and Bena, abducting at least 30 people. Following clashes with state forces and vigilantes in the Danko/Wasagu LGA, the abduction victims were reportedly freed.1137 In a separate incident in early April 2025, armed bandits ambushed a commercial vehicle on the Kebbi/Sokoto highway, killing one person.1138

Displacement, movement and return - As of August 2025, no figures could be found on conflict-related IDPs in Kebbi state. In early March 2025, the Lakurawa group reportedly attacked the villages of Birnin Debe, Dan Marke, and Tambo, resulting in residents being displaced to IDP camps in the Kangiwa village of the Arewa Dandi LGA.1139 Attacks in mid-June 2025 on residents of Tadurga and Kyabu/Kandu in the Zuru and Danko/Wasagu LGAs of the state, reportedly displaced hundreds of people.1140

No information could be found on conflict-induced returns in Kebbi state during the reference period.

c) State response in maintaining law and order

Following attacks on residents of Tadurga and Kyabu/Kandu in the Zuru and Danko/Wasagu LGAs of the state in mid-June 2025, a survivor of the attacks reportedly stated that government security forces only arrived the next day, long after the attackers had left.1141 In May 2025, the chairman of Danko-Wasagu LGA reportedly noted that villages previously under siege by bandits, such as Dan Kade and Yar Tasha had been freed due to the increased military presence in the area. He added that arrangements were being made to secure the Kebbi state border by deploying large numbers of military personnel there.1142